Tortured Soul (23 page)

Braiden began to fill Sam in on what had happened, while I took a moment to compose myself in the bathroom. The reflection that stared back at me from the bathroom mirror was pale and tired. I was so sick of Jonas Levier being in my life.
Why me
, I found myself asking. Why couldn’t he just move on and leave me in peace? I never did anything but give him the unchallenged submission he demanded, and he threw me away for protecting myself. He didn’t want me anymore—he planned to sell me anyway—so why the fuck was he still in my life? Tiredness quickly disappeared under anger. I was going to kill Jonas. I was going to stand over him and smile as the life drained from his body. He would never harm me or my family again. I would send my former master to the hell he deserved.

BRAIDEN

Bomber and Drew took the first shift and were positioned on the top of the building with an unobstructed view of the streets around it. Gabbie was getting some shut eye while Sam checked the RFID tag in Emily’s shoulder. The signal was strong, but we were standing right next to her. When we moved to opposite ends of the office block, we were still able to pick up a signal, but it was much fainter. It didn’t sit well with me. I wanted to lock her away somewhere safe until this situation with Levier was resolved, but I knew Emily wouldn’t do that. She wanted to finish this thing, she wanted Jonas’ blood just as much as I did,
more
than I did. Her temperament had become subdued since we arrived at the office. She seemed distant and maybe a little angry. Anger was good, it would feed her strength. Sam went to get some shut eye himself, and I pulled Em down beside me, onto the large soft leather couch that sat in the reception area. I pulled her against my chest, and she came willingly. She was so tense it was like holding an animal that was biding her time before an escape. I began running my fingers through her hair, and just as I expected, she relaxed.

“We’ll finish this soon, Em. Jonas will be out of your life forever.”

She swiveled around until her legs were over my lap, her head on my shoulder, and her hand pressed against my chest, right over my beating heart.

“Then what happens?” she whispered.

I leaned back into the couch.

“Then you get to live your life, anyway you please. No Larz watching over your shoulder twenty-four seven.”

She drew little circles on my chest. “What about your team? What happens to them?”

“We have other jobs lined up. They work for Montgomery Securities now, so they go where they’re needed. Right now they are needed here, but unfortunately there will always be someone who will need them elsewhere.” I was grateful her legs were bent. It put a small space between her and my dick, otherwise she might feel the evidence of my hunger for her. Just her touch filled my body with an insatiable need.

I thought maybe she’d dozed off when she finally spoke again, her words whispered loudly in the quiet, dimly lit office. “What about you?”

I pressed my hand over hers.

“I planned on taking a trip to Cambodia in the new year. Things are a little busy here though, so I might have to push it back a couple of months.” I hesitated before asking my next question. “Would you like to accompany me?”

Emily shot straight up and looked right into my eyes. “To Cambodia?”

I nodded.

“Are you going to see the child you foster over there?”

I nodded again.

“Would you like me to come?”

I grinned. What a loaded question. She hit my chest, instantly recognizing my arrogant smirk. “You have a one track mind,” she murmured.

I had to agree with her. When it came to Emily coming, yes, I only had one thought. Shaking it away, I cleared my throat.

“Em, I want you wherever I am, always.” Her eyes glistened and a look of hope took over her features. “But I also want you to be free. You’ve been chained to a dominant man for far too long, Em. You might want to try freedom for a while.” The hope in her eyes faded a little. “And I’m probably too old for you.”

“How old are you?” she asked after a short silence.

“Thirty-two.”

“That’s only seven years older than me. You talk as if you are an old man.”

I chuckled. “Sometimes I feel like an old man.” I shrugged. “That being said, if you want me, I’ll be your old man, Em.”

Her surprised eyes found mine again before she moved forward and kissed me hard. Her force and demand shocked me a little. I didn’t give her a chance to control the kiss for long, my need to dominate was an incorrigible force. I flipped her to her back and fucked her mouth with my tongue, just the way I wanted to fuck her pussy. I yanked her shirt over her head, loving that she was naked beneath it. I pulled her jeans down her legs, remembering at the last minute to pull her shoes off. Once I had her naked I pulled my fly down and freed my hard cock.

“Are you wet for me, Malen’kaya?” I ran a finger through her pussy and it came away sopping wet. Needing to taste her, I put my finger into my mouth and sucked her delicious sweetness from it. I was kneeling on the carpeted floor, my dick in my hand, with my beautiful, sweet submissive, very naked woman panting before me. I swung Emily around on the couch, bringing her core right in line with my hungry dick. I rubbed through her folds a few times before plunging deep inside her. Being inside Em was like coming home. All my worries disappeared under the knowledge she was safe and here with me now. I squeezed her breasts as I pumped into her. I wasn’t going to last long; the pressure in my balls was building swiftly. She just felt too damn good. I kissed her lips and sucked her nipples, enjoying the soft moans she whispered. The thought that someone could walk into the room any minute should have deterred me from taking her like this. The thing was, nothing could stop me from fucking this beauty. This need for her was an unstoppable force of nature. Flicking my finger over her clit helped her find release, and I followed quickly after. Panting for breath, my forehead rested on her chest as our bodies returned to some resemblance of normal. I wrapped my arms around her, pulled her close to me, and held her tight. I was never a fan of quickies, but with Em, I would take whatever I could get. Fast and furious, long and languorous, sex with Emily was divine. When I told her I was hers, never had more honest words been spoken. I couldn’t own Emily for she already owned me. The need for her to accept me was not something I was used to. If a woman wanted me, she got me, whether it was for a moment or longer, I was there. And I took whatever they had to offer without guilt or hesitation. I wanted to be Emily’s forever, and I wanted her to be mine, always.

“Am I yours, Em?” I asked as soon as I found my voice again.

“In every way, Shakhta,” she breathed without any sign of uncertainty. Her words soaked into my heart as it fell into a restful rhythm, completely satisfied with her admission. I pulled back a little and kissed her lips hard before resting my forehead against hers.

“You will always be Emily Donovan to me, free and in control. But my heart is yours, Malen’kaya.” I kissed her nose. “I’ll always be a dominant prick, but I won’t ever take your choices away from you, and I won’t ever hurt you. I can promise you that.”

Her hand cupped my cheek. “And you always keep your promises.”

I nodded as I withdrew from her body and helped her dress. I had nothing more to do than zip up my fly, which I felt bad about for all but a minute, before the memory of her shouting her release brought an arrogant grin to my lips.

“What’s that about?” Emily pointed to my face and evident smirk.

“I guess I wanted you to come, and you did.”

She scrunched up her nose right before a shy smile appeared on her face. Her smiles were undoubtedly created in heaven, absolutely perfect and so rare. I leaned in and kissed her lips, immediately hungry for her again. When I pulled away, she was breathless. I grinned at being able to make her lose control so easily.

“What was that for?” she panted.

“That smile was so stunning, I just wanted to own it, consume it.” She smiled again and my heart pounded hard at my chest. “Are you hungry?” I asked, realizing we skipped lunch and dinner.

“A little,” Emily confessed.

The fridge was stocked with fruit and cheese. I made up a small plate of everything before joining Em back on the couch, which I would never be able to look at again without getting a hard-on. Perhaps we needed a new couch. I couldn’t very well be getting an erection every time I walked in here. When I picked up a piece of cheese to pop in my mouth, Emily stopped me. She took my wrist and guided my hand to her mouth. Her soft lips took the cheese from my fingers and she sucked on my finger for a moment, her eyes never leaving mine.

“I’m going to fuck you again if you keep that up, Malen’kaya.”

She shrugged and took a strawberry, raising it to my mouth. To hell with that, I was feeding my woman. I had never found anything remotely satisfying about feeding a woman, until now. I took the strawberry from her fingers and placed it at her lips. She bit in, causing juice to run down her chin. I didn’t hesitate to lick it away. The small giggle that filled my ears caused me to pull away, shock no doubt first and foremost in my expression.

“Wow,” Emily wondered out loud. “That felt different.” I knew she was referring to the laughter that snuck up on her.

“I want you again,” I confessed. Emily’s eyes widened. “Don’t worry, as much as I want you, I’m not going to jump you again right now. You’re going to eat then sleep. Tomorrow we’ll figure out what to do about Jonas.”

“And then you will jump my bones?” she asked, putting her pale blue eyes on my dark ones.

“If I manage to wait that long,” I growled, kissing her. I was teetering dangerously close to using the “L” word. This had to be love—this need, this possessive want that went beyond all rational thought. It could so easily slip from my lips—I love you—but I didn’t want to scare her away. One day at a time. Soon, I would tell her just how very much I loved her.

***

Bomber called me down from the rooftop a little before dawn. Emily was still asleep, buried under a blanket on the couch. My dick had twitched as I peered into the room to check on her.
Yep, we most definitely needed a new couch.
I was sitting in front of my desk, Sam on the other side in front of the computer. Bomber stood at my back.

“Play it again,” I murmured.

Sam clicked the keys and a voice filled the room.

“No more playing, Mr. Montgomery. I have something you want, you have something I want. Ms. Mercy Carter has till exactly 0600 hours for you to deliver my pet to Coats and Collars. If she is not at the location at that time, I will put a bullet in her head. I know you fucked her Braiden; you should be pleased I’m not planning to kill you. Men pay top dollar to fuck my pet.” The recording when silent. It had been sent via an email over half an hour ago. I glanced at my watch—it was already 5:45 a.m. We were out of time.

“We have to go,” said Bomber.

“He’ll kill Emily.”

“He’ll kill Mercy,” he argued.

“You think I don’t know that!” I growled, trying to keep my temper in check.

“We revert to the original plan. We give him Em, then we follow and track her,” Sam interceded.

“That wasn’t a plan. It was no more than an idea and a ridiculous one at that,” I snapped.

“Boss, we don’t have any other choice. Dillon and Parker are covering the only way in and out of Claymont. Bomber, Gabbie and Drew will have eyes on Em at all times. You make the delivery. We’ve got the tracker in her; we won’t lose her.” Sam’s confidence didn’t make me feel any better about the plan. Sighing, knowing there wasn’t any way I could avoid it, I stood and ran a hand through my tangled hair.

“Fuck,” I snarled as I walked out of the office. My head was racing through every possible outcome as I moved down the short hall and out into the reception area. The empty couch shocked me into silence. I blinked once, twice, then looked around the room in search of Em.

“Oh. Shit,” murmured Bomber at my back.

Drew and Gabbie stepped off the elevator, their guns holstered, looking far too casual for what was about to go down. I pushed past Bomber and checked the bathroom and the other offices, before racing back into the reception area.

“Damn it, she left didn’t she?” Gabbie grimaced.

I pushed through the door that led to the stairwell and onto the street. I heard Bomber organizing my team from behind me, throwing orders around before joining me, descending the stairs three at a time. The front door to the street was partly open. I threw it wide open with such force it smashed against the wall as I ran out into the street. I knew where Coats and Collars was—we had already mapped out the entire area and every street and alleyway between here and there. My heart pounded hard in my chest as I tore down the street and around a corner. Another block and we would be there. Bomber was at my back; I could hear his heavy footsteps shadowing mine. The streets were all but empty this time of the day. My own heartbeat and heavy breathing were the only sounds I could hear. As I took the last corner, my feet slipped on the ice and I gripped the wall to remain upright. My heart lurched at the sight ahead of me. On the concrete sidewalk, directly in front of Coats and Collars, sat Mercy. Her hands bound behind her back, her mouth gagged. Motherfucker! I wanted to roar with the injustice of it.

“They couldn’t have gone far,” said Bomber calmly beside me as we ran across the street to Mercy. I slid to my knees and pulled the gag from her mouth.

“About ten minutes,” she sobbed, knowing exactly what the first words out of my mouth were going to be. Bomber was already on the phone as Gabbie pulled the sedan up beside us. “I’m sorry, Braiden,” Mercy continued.

“Shhh, don’t be silly,” I said with careful restraint. None of this was Mercy’s fault. It was fucking Jonas Levier’s fault. I had no idea how I was going to kill him—there were too many appealing ways circling my mind that I couldn’t chose just one. Gabbie began to free Mercy of her bindings as Bomber walked over to me, his face and posture all business.