Becoming His Slave (14 page)

He couldn’t even have them removed either, by city ordinance she was a victim in an ongoing investigation and was still in danger of her would-be killer coming for her. Wheeler understood the reasoning, but he would have preferred she was under guard by some regular city cop, not by the preponderant man that had a way of controlling everything around her even him and managed to refute his own attempts to be around her privately.

It had only angered him, stir a jealousy in him, but to walk in her room and find her in a sexual embrace so open and scandalous, it filled him with disdain for the woman now. Disgusted him. She didn’t deserve his desires or his care. She deserved nothing, but the ill wares life this city could bring.

Trenton Leos, who shattered his ideals of who this woman should be, even in his own anger from the disruption when he handled the woman it was tender like she was a fragile tea cup or one of those fancy collector eggs from Switzerland. Leos didn’t just jerk her up off the bed, he carefully eased her up slipped his arm under her then lifted her gently, whispered something to her—it sounded like he told her to
remember
—before carrying her to the bathroom to wash her.

Wheeler’s mouth grew bitter watching how Trenton Leos had corrupted the petit woman with his claim on her.

Wheeler walked into the x-ray room then turned looking at his patient; he could see her feeble attempts for her own emotional defense. She actually believed she had done nothing wrong, allowing that man to touch as he did. Perhaps that angered him more than the fact she would allow a man to touch her at all. Just something about Trenton Leos rubbed him the wrong way.

He dismissed the orderly then no sooner that the man left, Wheeler bent over, his hands gripping the arms of the wheel chair. “Ever wonder why some women have such bad luck while others get everything they want?” He glared at her, but then his eyes slid down her body. He looked at her differently now, looked at her with decrepit lust. And the look made Katianna’s stomach turn, made her feel sick. She shrunk away from him.

“Those nasty little books you write and when you allowed him to touch you—such behavior only attracts more bad things to come. When you were attacked? You caused that to happen.”

But Wheeler was instantly straightening, backing away when the x-ray tech came in. “Think about what I said Miss Dumas, there might still be hope for you.” And he marched off with trepid vaulting, that he was somehow better than her suddenly.

An hour later Katianna was returned to her room, but the moment she had with Trenton was gone. Her paper flowers had been snatched, shredded and allowed to scatter on the floor at her feet and there was no putting them back together again for her.

Trenton could see the change in her right away. The doctor had somehow taken the warm glow he had created in her away, dragging her back down to the weary loneliness he had found her in. She was too exhausted for him to attempt restoring her bliss. He needed to let her rest.

He sat on the edge of the bed holding her hand and simply watched her, watched the troubled thoughts burnish her mind and how they cast shadows on her eyes and furrowed her brow and he waited to see if she would tell him what those thoughts were.

“Did this happen to me because of what I write?” The question broke through like the squeak of a mouse.

“Is that what you think?”

“That’s what the doctor thinks.” Wheeler had obviously done a number on her. The despair was running deep.

“And what do you think?” He hopped to ease her from the dark pool of thoughts that were not solely her own, but had to gentle her out, any yanking and she just might dive in head first.

“I don’t know what I think.” She struggled to not cry, but her eyes pooled and he could hear the tears in her voice none the less, so lost, “But I’ve lost my home again, one more time I having nothing. I don’t even want to leave the hospital, because I have no place to go, and its Christmas. What if he’s right? Who has such bad luck to be thrown out on the street two days before Christmas?”

“Don’t worry you’re not getting put out on the streets. You’ll have a place to go—some place safe.”

“No. I’m just a tumble weed bouncing around wherever the wind takes me—breaking off at little pieces here and there. I don’t even have a computer anymore—I can’t write without it, I don’t even have that anymore.” There was no stopping the tears now as they streamed down first one cheek then the other. His hand couldn’t wipe them away fast enough.

And there was her broken heart—she didn’t have her own life. What little she had managed to put together for herself over the past few months had been stripped away from her, even her ability to write.

Trenton felt his hopes slip away. Just when he thought she was in his arms, he realized now he had to let her go. He’d had every intention of taking her home with him. But to do so was just taking over her life when she was a wreck. She had no life to surrender to him, he was merely picking up the pieces and she couldn’t refuse him for it. And that would not do, not for what he wanted out of her, because eventually once she had time to regain her strength she would start to resent his possession over her.

It was something she would have to have for herself, a life on her own before he could ask her to surrender it to him. He couldn’t even consider asking her to be with him. And letting go of the one dream he ever desired was going to be the hardest thing for him to do.

He lowered over her, kissing her forehead as she drifted off to sleep “Sleep now baby. I’ll restore your bliss one day when you’re ready.” He whispered in her ear.

He waited a little longer finding it hard to walk away, just a few more moments to watch her sleep. He fished his cell phone out dialed the number and waited—

“Hello?”
 The familiar voice of a woman on the other end answered.

“Amelia—its Trenton.” He took a deep breath rolling his lips in thought, “I need a favor.”

~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~

Two weeks after Katianna was attacked she was riding silently in the executive limo, sitting up front with Harper Lancings, the detective that had stopped by the hospital often along with Detective Tate Marshal to ask questions about her attacker and was now seeing her to her new home.

As he drove, he made excuses for Trenton’s absence something about work and he couldn’t get away.

Katianna stared out the window. She couldn’t stop the tears as they slowly made their escape. She couldn’t discern exactly why she was crying only that she was sad. The nurses said it was probably just post traumatic stress, but she wasn’t sure that was it either. Though the extinguished gentleman that stopped by to introduce himself as Dr. Laszkovi made no similar comment. He offered to listen to her as long as she talked about herself. She didn’t know what to say and that only compounded her pain and frustration. She asked if she could just cry and he nodded pleasantly commenting that in the flood of tears eventually the answers she sought would float to the surface where she could reach them and there was no hurry to understand. She didn’t know if she was depressed or just sad. But when you’re depressed do you really know what affects you? She tried to tell herself it wasn’t because of Trenton, he had given her a moment at her darkest hour… he owed her nothing else.

“Why the tears little one?” Harper asked, glancing at her for a moment then back to the road.

Katianna pulled out her iPad and using the tablet pen scribbled some words on it, large enough so he could read while he was still driving.

—
Just when I think I got the ride running okay I hit another dead end.
—

“That’s pretty good since you don’t even own a car.” He chuckled light heartedly, “Relax—if this turns out to be another dead end for you it’s a pretty damn good one to get stopped at.”

Katianna had no idea what that meant, but she figured she’d find out soon enough.

It was a rather long drive taking her far from the city regions, smaller towns and communities passed them by and an occasional glimpse of the Atlantic ocean and the over bearing weight of the city fell away. Even the air smelled cleaner.

A little over two hours later Harper pulled the limo up to the large gates and just beyond them was a mansion that was beyond anything Katianna had ever laid eyes on. Beyond just Hollywood flare with its multi level multi section assembly. All in a creamy color with dark navy roof tiles. It was European wealth at its best.

Katianna gasped as they pulled in and was quickly feeling incredible small and insignificant. “Who lives here?”

“This is the Quinneth Family Estate. Amelia Quinnith’s home.”

She cocked her head towards him paling in her bewilderment, “Why are we here?”

Harper pulled the limo around to the side where they could see towards the back, to the pool and the ocean just beyond. “Because there—” he pointed to a cottage sized building just off to the side of the pool area at the edge where the lawn touched the beach, “—is where you will be living from now on.”

~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~  *  ~

~
                                         
~

CHAPTER FIVE

~
                                         
~

FIVE WEEKS LATER

There was a knock on his door.

Trenton looked up from his desk just as Marcus stepped into his office, he had almost expected to see him sometime today either him or Diesel. One of his brothers was going to say something to him.

“Just got back from taking Katianna to the oral surgeon.” Marcus stopped about half way, hooking his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans and waited for Trenton’s response. The mop of dark, wavy hair falling in his eyes. He hadn’t even bothered to remove his sun glasses yet.

Trenton kept his attention on the paper work on his desk as if it was far more important and required his undivided attention, “Yeah? How’d that go?”

“Funny you should ask. We were all beginning to wonder if you even cared.”

“Of course I care—” but Trenton kept his face down and flipped a few pages over feigning to read over them.

“It shows.” Marcus gave a quirky cock of his head.

It was an attempt to set him off. Trenton’s elbow came down on the desk and his head fell into his hand while his fingers raked through his hair then stalled. “If you got something to say… then say it and get out.” He gritted his teeth, “I’ve got work to do.” Biting off his anguish before he exploded on Marcus. Trenton fought to contain himself. He’d been ready to explode for weeks now. Always on edge.

“Okay—if that’s how it is. Hardly a day went by at that hospital that you weren’t there with her. Now you don’t even pick up the phone to say hello? You’re still paying for everything. Hell you’re practically paying Amelia to have her live on the Estate. So what gives?”

“Just helping out that’s all.” Trenton glowered.

“Some help! She was looking for you today. Guess it was just some silly girl notion that you might be there waiting on her when she came out of surgery.” Marcus wasn’t at all kind about his sarcasm.

“Dammit Marcus it was just a simple outpatient procedure. I have a job to do and I leave for Europe in two days.”

“So you’re too busy for her now? Is that it?”

“No. It’s not like that. Damn it Marcus I shouldn’t have to explain it to you.”

Marcus had no intentions of letting up; the five of them had been through hell and high water together. They’d all had their dreams mapped out before they even got out of the service. Kept each other on track. Even got lucky when they pulled a winning lotto ticket that allotted them enough money to make those dreams happen. All but one. They all desired a woman, a single woman who could fulfill their darkest desires and their hearts. But Marcus knew all too well sometimes a man has to give up the darker ones. “Explain anyways.”

“God damn it Marcus she doesn’t have a life to surrender to me. She needs that for herself and I am trying to help her with it, but I can’t be around her at the same time. I want her too strongly. I want her with me now!”

“Then why isn’t she?!” Marcus barked heatedly at him.

“Because!” Trenton bellowed out throwing his arms in the air “How can I possibly ask her to be my Life Slave when—”

“Life Slave?! That’s what this is about?” Marcus cut him off. “Fantasies Trenton! There just fucking fantasies!” Marcus was livid, stepping up to challenge Trenton further on the matter and letting him have it full force. “They’re not real! You’re breaking her heart and yours—because you won’t give them up!”

“NO!” Trenton pushed to his feet raging now, “I won’t give them up! It’s all I have ever wanted! And she will be the one to fill my needs! I just have to give her time!”

Marcus took a deep long breath gritting his teeth, he jabbed a finger at his friend, “You’re insane keeping with these pipe dreams and you’re throwing away a perfect woman for you.” And turned on his heels and stormed out, nearly slamming into Diesel in the hall. He stopped glaring hotly at Diesel. “And I suppose you support him on this?”

“Of course I do. I would you too.” Diesel answered calmly. And he had. That was where Marcus’s real rage was stemming from, he knew that. Marcus was like him and Trenton he too desired a woman to surrender to him. Only Marcus had already made the proposition twice in his life time and both had ended in pain for his brother in arms.

Marcus’ first had been Ajmaani. He met her when they were still stationed in Chechnya. She was so young, too young for such a commitment actually, but desperate to flee a country torn by war she had surrendered her life to Marcus. It was good for him; she was his way to escape the blood and pounding noise of civil war that had nothing to do with him. Ajmaani accepted every part of Marcus’ pampering, because she had never experienced such devoted attention from a man. She accepted his tender dominance, because before him she had known only cruelty and rape. She accepted his possessiveness and over protectiveness because she had need for it in a battle zone and needed his protection. But when they had all returned to the US and he brought her with him, freedom started to set in and change her. She saw a life without bullets and mortars. She saw parties and concerts and cookouts. While Marcus’s face only reminder her of home and his dominance reminded her of what she promised to him. Even when he gave her all that she asked for, made every effort to make up for what her life had lacked, it had not been enough and she began to rebel.