Dark (Beautiful Ashes #1) (12 page)

He lunged over the table, grabbing her chin and yanking her forward. “Listen up, because I’m not repeating myself. You
will
go back as many times as it takes. And you
will
follow orders. Clear.”

Keeley swallowed hard. She couldn’t blow this. Braxton was the key to it all and he wanted her. Only her. She acknowledged how dangerous that was. In E’s club she was protected, not in the underground one. She didn’t trust that Leith could keep her safe and hissed, “Let me go.”

“You like it rough. Don’t tempt me, Keeley.”

“You’re threatening me?”

“If I have to.”

“You’re a real son of a bitch, you know that?”

“Don’t you forget it either. Now stand up and play nice. We have an audience.”

Keeley let Leith lead her out of the bar, but once they were on the street, she shoved him hard. “I hate you.”

“I don’t give a fuck. I’m all you got. Unless,” he leveled a look at her, “you’d like me to tell Tarius everything that happened the other night.”

Her heart was galloping in her ears, making it almost impossible to hear anything else. “You wouldn’t.”

“Test me. I dare you,” he growled.

She spun around and marched away, flipping him off over her shoulder. Keeley was in deeper than she anticipated. She should tell Tar the whole story before it was too late. But she wouldn’t. She convinced herself on the way back to the penthouse that protecting him was best. If something happened to her, he was better off. They all were.

*****

Mitch handed Tar a double shot of Jack Daniels as they went over the details of the investigation. Braxton was a solid lead and Mitch needed Keeley in his home. “FUCK NO!” he roared.

Tar’s response was expected. “It’s where he’ll be most forthcoming. Try to look at this from our perspective.”

“Oh, I am,” he growled. “None of you give a fuck if he kills her.”

“Hey now, not true,” Mitch protested. “I happen to like Keeley.”

Tar paced the room with both hands in his hair, pulling. “There’s got to be another way.”

“Cool your heels. It’s the objective. But he has to make the offer.”

“Right. Cross that bridge when we get to it.” Tar began to calm down some. “She’s got some good information out of him.”

“Yeah, she did.” Mitch smiled. “Hopefully he’ll continue to talk in the club.”

Tar nodded, but he knew the odds were slim to none. Experience told him Mitch was accurate. The only way they were gathering the incriminating evidence necessary was to get into the fucker’s lair. Pissed him off, but he acknowledged it really was the only way. His fist went through the wall before he really thought much about what he was doing. Didn’t help in the slightest. His job was to protect the woman he loved, not feed her to wolves. This particular wolf raised the hairs on Tar’s neck every time he thought of him near Keeley. Something about the well-to-do business man screamed D-A-N-G-E-R. He wanted to ignore it. Play this off as the jealous lover. But Tar knew his gut had never been wrong before. Why would it start now?

Chapter
Nineteen

Keeley was strapped down over a whipping bench in some kind of dress taken straight from medieval times. Braxton was playing out a scene and also dressed for the part. Every strike of the whip ripped through the cloth protecting her skin. She absently wondered how the hell they would cover those marks. Fate smiled down on her as he switched to a belt once he reached bare skin. Provided he never tore her flesh; she could spin a tale around the welts. He struck along her sex and Keeley could not fight how wet it made her. But no matter how hard he tried, she wouldn’t let herself orgasm. He didn’t have to tell her that was his goal. Braxton’s body gave him away. He leaned over her, speaking in her ear. “I want to rip open your skin and come all over every cut I make.” He ground into her ass with his hard cock. “While you writhe from the searing pain, I want to fuck you.”

Keeley was breathing hard. What he was saying went beyond her comfort zone. He actually terrified her. His hand went down the front of the dress, twisting her nipple until she yelped. Leith’s voice came over the intercom. “Enough.”

Braxton growled, “She didn’t use her safeword.”

Keeley wanted to jerk away from the man she knew would rape her eventually. Instead, she forced out, “Red.”

Braxton was sweating and panting when Keeley was released. He was wiping his face with a towel as a robe was wrapped around her shoulders. The look he gave her sealed what she already knew, he was going to have her with or without her consent, or anyone else’s.

She took a step back until instinct kicked in. The more fear Braxton saw in her, the more he would act on it. Keeley recognized she needed to play the game. Pretend she wanted him. That sent her back to the time spent with the senator and her captivity. She’d been willing to have sex with him. Could she do it again with Braxton? Difference, she wasn’t in love with Tar then and she did it to survive. Problem it led to, now she craved the high pain brought her. Shit. Even in death, Senator Caleb Reynolds had a hold on her.

Braxton reached out his hand and Keeley didn’t back away. “You are a gem. One I mean to keep all to myself.”

She batted her lashes at him. “Sir,” she affirmed as the attendant led her out to Leith.

Leith put his arm around her shoulders. “How the hell are we explaining those marks?”

“Give me time to think about it. Right now,” she sighed heavily, “I need to close my eyes.”

“Let’s get you in the car before anyone else wants to chat.”

*****

Leith acknowledged the ass-whopping he was going to get when Tar saw those raised welts on Keeley. He watched her search for something that would match. “We’re going to go with—I needed you to try these,” she tossed some leather straps his way, “on me to help get me into the right state of mind.”

“Keeley, I can’t keep lying to the man for you. He doesn’t deserve it.”

She spun on her heel and hissed, “Of course he doesn’t, but what choice do we have?”

He nodded emphatically. “I know. But you have to realize, the longer we deceive him, the worse it’ll be.”

Her finger was on his chest, poking. “You don’t think I know that! I’m betraying the man I love,” she screeched.

Leith captured her hand and pinned it against him. “It’s because you love him that I’m not seducing you right now,” he said through gritted teeth.

Her eyes widened at his confession. “Please, just help me do this. I’m trying to help you, Mitch, and Tar. My ways may seem misconstrued, but they’re for the greater good.”

He grabbed the straps and commanded, “Turn around.” Making sure he matched the patterns Braxton left, he struck. She cried out with each lash. “You go ahead and keep lying to yourself, Keeley,” he rasped in her ear, tossing the leather to the side. “But you’re doing this for you.”

She was on her knees hugging herself. “No. That’s not true,” she denied.

“Really? You want me to prove it.”

“Please leave.”

“Oh, I’ll go, but you better listen up. You’re out of your ever-lovin’ mind if you think you can control this addiction.” He slammed the door, leaving her to the misery that was all-consuming.

Leith was right. Keeley wasn’t stupid. She was living up to exactly what she already knew about herself—a complete fuck-up. She screamed and beat her fists against the mat underneath her.

The demon watched as she slowly gave into the guilt and shame. Yes, by the time she accepted the lies he was telling her, it would be too late for Tar or anyone to save her.

*****

Tarius was up before sunrise and figured he needed to run off some of his anxiety. Music pumping through his ear buds, he pushed himself hard. Keeley was lying to him, but he couldn’t figure out about what. The niggling sensation that once he knew it would be over with her, taunted him. He wanted her to trust him enough to tell him what was going on. Prove to her, he could love her darkest parts and not give up. Yet he acknowledged, none of that was possible if she didn’t want to. He couldn’t help her heal if she wasn’t ready. Just like the drug she was once hooked on, until she
wanted
free of those chains no one could do a damn thing. Sure they could keep speaking the truth. Maybe, just maybe, some of it would trickle in. But her newest obsession could kill her before that ever happened. He needed to find a way to fight this demon of hers. Tar made a one-eighty and ran faster. An idea surfaced and he needed to verify if it could work.

*****

Keeley stood in the shower as it stung across her tortured skin. She hissed, taking in the pain. Her fingers went to her hardened peaks, twisting and pulling. In her mind, she pictured Tar tugging on her nipple rings. She hadn’t put them back in since that sick fucker almost tore her boobs off. Her hand traveled down to where her womb once was. Every mistake she made stole a part of her body and soul. The water caught one particularly sore spot, taking her breath away. She sat on the shower floor, knees up, doing her best to breathe through it. At this angle the water was lightly tapping between her legs. Her focus shifted. One hand toyed with her nipple. Her other finger was moving in and out of her sex as she spread her legs wide for the shower to pulse on her pleasure spot. Tar was there in her mind’s eye as she played with herself, urging her on to make herself come for him. She climaxed screaming out his name. After a few moments, she stood and finished showering.

Keeley took in all the red stripes on her backside using a smaller mirror along with the large one above the vanity. How would she ever hide these from Tar? Then it hit, that book Lacey was reading had been on a very sexy scene. And hello, her sister knew a thing or two about bondage. After all, it was E’s specialty. Excited to learn more about the art of restraining Tar, she finished getting ready in a hurry.

This could work.

She met Lacey at her dance studio. The sexy-as-sin routine they were working on was to Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous.” Damn. There was no denying seductive dance moves were stimulating. Another thing she was going to ask her sister for pointers on. Keeley wasn’t built the same as Lacey. She always felt like a little girl envying Lacey’s womanly body. Her boobs might be bigger than Lacey’s but she really thought that was just due to her tiny frame. A C cup on someone barely five-foot-tall looked huge compared to the same cup size on a woman nearly six foot. Mind-boggling how they were twins. But she favored their mother, and Lacey their father. A sense of remorse hit her. Her dad wasn’t the kindest of men, but him passing away was still difficult. The fact he’d disowned her years ago didn’t ease that ache, only made it more poignant. Yet another person she’d let down with her destructive tendencies. Why would anyone ever love her? She sure didn’t deserve it. And she knew no one could trust her any further than they could throw her. Her mood slipped into somber by the time Lacey was able to speak to her.

“Chin up, buttercup,” Lacey said lightly, “all is not lost.”

No matter where her dark thoughts took her, Lacey could always shine some light to help guide her out of them. “I think your expectations for me are set way too high.”

“Nonsense. No one is that lost.”

Keeley quirked her brow. “Really? Pretty damn dark where I live, Lace.”

“Well…” she looped her arm with Keeley’s, “we’ll just have to see about moving you.”

Keeley shook her head. If it were only that easy! “I do love you.”

“And I love you. I’m never giving up on you.”

“You should for your own sanity.”

“Pfft, lost that some time ago.”

They both chuckled at that.

Keeley was still in awe of how Lacey gave up on her dreams to find her. She was rewarded with finding her other half; E loved her with all his heart. Only reason why Keeley didn’t have as many regrets about it as the other things in her life. Lacey’s determination and fight to find her was the only reason Keeley was alive. She never doubted her sister was an angel.

“Hey,” Lacey pulled her from her musings, “thanks to you, E and I had a great talk.” She hugged Keeley tight. “I really appreciate that.”

It was the least she could do for her considering all Lacey had done. “I’m glad he listened.”

“He loves me and wants what’s best for me,” she said with a confidence Keeley coveted.

Lacey was the center of E’s universe and Keeley couldn’t help but want that kind of love, too. Tar would never forgive her for the lies she told. A man like him put too much value on honesty, and every day she was fucking it up beyond reason. She snapped herself out of the dark pit beckoning her. “Yes, he does. You’re so lucky.”

“Luck doesn’t have a damn thing to do with it, Keeley. It takes work and communication.”

“Then why didn’t you tell him yourself?”

“Honestly, I couldn’t find the right time. I planned on it,” Lacey reassured.

Her sister wasn’t one to fib. If she meant to talk to her husband about her heart’s desire, then she would’ve. Keeley was happy she could open that dialogue up between them. She’d never want anything to get in the way of their happiness. “I believe you.”

“So, what brings you here? Your text said you needed some help.”

Was this really a good idea? But how else would she conceal the marks on her body from Tar? Her biggest fear was growing closer to him. The more he saw how damaged she was, the more she risked losing him forever. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. “I need to learn how to tie him up as I have my wicked way with him.” She laughed in a sinister way.

Lacey’s eyes widened. “Ohhhhhhh. Wait! I thought you had restrained him before?”

“To make my escape from him and the rehab facility, yes. And remember, he was drugged.” The memory of his beautiful, sexy body on display for her in Italy, when he was her bodyguard, stirred her lower regions. Damn good thing she wasn’t a man. If she was, she’d be sportin’ a huge hard-on.

“That’s right! Okay, how can I assist?”

“Teach me all you know, Lace.”

“This is going to be fuuuuun,” she sang out, making her way to the back room. “Follow me.”

Lacey was absolutely the epitome of a good girl. How she found her naughty side was bewildering. After a second though, Lacey realized it really wasn’t, E brought out her kinky in a rather charming way. And somehow, she brought out his in a more seductive manner than all out dominance. They really were perfect for each other.

*****

Tar sat in E’s office pouring over every book he’d been given, studying his theory. E walked in with a few more and placed them on the desk. “For the record, I like your idea. A lot.”

“You think it can work?” Tar inquired, peeking over the edge of rather arousing piece of information.

“Hell yes, I do.” E pointed out, “Biggest things are determination and persistence. Both you have in spades, my friend.”

“Maybe. But man, she’s lying about something. I can feel it,” Tar admitted.

“She is,” E nodded. “But I’m not convinced she’s capable of any other way,” E affirmed what Tar considered.

“I can’t force her to be honest with me any more so than I can force her to trust my love for her.”

“I disagree on one of those.” E raked his hands through his hair. “There’s a way to get the truth from her that actually feeds her need.”

“That’s risky shit, man. I’m trying to heal her, not send her into the deep end!” Tar exclaimed.

“Sometimes we have to learn if we can swim.”

Tar blew out a heavy breath. “And if she drowns?”

“Be her life preserver.”

He made a valid point. Tar couldn’t deny that. Question was, could he do it to her? Forcing someone just wasn’t his cup of tea. It went against his personal code. Albeit he had to admit, it might be the only way to break her. Broken was where she healed, or he lost her forever to that demon who was courting her. Tar wasn’t convinced he could risk that.