Enslaved in Shadows (31 page)

             
“I’ll teach you how to protect yourself, so you will never have to worry about losing control. You will be in control of your life. If I can’t do anything else I will do that.” His voice was determined, hard.
“I know you don’t understand what’s happening between us, but I promise you this, I didn’t recognize it before but I do now. You and Faith belong to me.
I will do everything in my power to see this through till the end.”

             
That sounded more like a pledge not a declaration of love. She relaxed at bit. She didn’t want him declaring love. That would be worse than death.
Was she expecting, a declaration of sorts?
No, you were preparing for it, not wanting it.
That was true.
She’d prepared herself. H
er body had begun tensing for the verbal slap, which normally was followed up with a blast of pain.
             
             

His lips a feather caress, tugged her forward, deeper into his embrace.
She could feel the hard length of his arousal pressed tightly against her stomach.
She really didn’t have time for all this. She needed to rest, regroup, and figure out what their next move was.
She knew he was trying to console her, soothe her into submission, but she was too tense for that. She was hard wired for pain. Words that should have made her smile and bloom into the perfect wife and doting mother were harsh to her ears and tore flesh from her skin. To hear them was agony.

             
“We need to get back to headquarters and meet up with Royce and the others.”

             
“I know baby, let me go talk to my mother, Faith will be safe here, I promise.”

             
He dropped another kiss to her lips and walked towards the kitchen. Jes pulled the blanket tighter over Faith’s body and knelt down beside the couch.
She couldn’t take her on this leg of the journey; it wasn’t a safe place for a five year old.
She touched one of her daughter’s curled strands of hair and took a deep breath.
She’d be safe here and Marcus and that man would never find her.
She’d gut anyone who tried to lay another hand on her daughter.

             
Draven walked to the front of the house and his mother was next to him, a look of concern on her face. She managed a smiled when she noticed Jes was paying close attention.
Jes stood and his mother took a steady step forward and hugged her, arms squeezing her tightly.
What side of the coin is this?

             
“I bid you welcome to our family,” his mother said in a formal voice. “I will protect my grandchild with my life and so will her grandfather, you have my word.” She walked over to the couch and scooped Faith into her arms and disappeared into the darkness of the house.
Jes felt the solid warmth of Draven’s hand return, his fingers threading with hers. She wanted to know about Oliver and Solon.
She needed to see what was right in front of her.
There was more to it. What had been presented in the beginning was elaborately constructed.

Chapter 19

             
Headquarters was dark when she and Draven entered the doors.
The secretary who’d been there the first day was no longer manning the desk.
It was quiet inside and the normal hustle and bustle she expected wasn’t there.

             
“Shouldn’t there be people here, especially this time of night?”

             
“They’re here baby, don’t worry. I can smell them. Everyone is right where
they’re
supposed to be. They’re all waiting to watch Ronin and Royce’s interrogation. It’s somewhat of a spectacle here among us.”

             
Draven tugged her to his side and they took the elevator down to the sub level.
The walls were stark white, soundless. Not a hum or buzz of electrical items doing their job to support the building. It was too quiet. She wasn’t worried if they’d be attacked, but the silence put her nerves at attention, made her twitchy.
There were only a few doors lining the walls and each of them was slightly ajar with no lights.
The door at the end was closed.
He steered them towards it.
His steps light. H
e was all predator.
             
             

             
“Let’s go in there and get this taken care of.
I want to go home and be with our daughter.” Her nerves settled, resolution would come, she could feel it. Soon it would all be over.
He nodded and pulled her into his side. He kept touching her, over and over every time he got a chance. At the beginning of this
trip,
he was abrupt,
standoffish
. Now he maintained
skin-to-skin
contact, at what seemed like all times. He kissed the top of her head and pushed open the door. True to his
word,
everyone she knew from the
Unit
was there as well as the secretary. Guess she didn’t want to miss a good interrogation either.
There were a few other people she didn’t know but there was no mistaking the sharp intake of breath as the others saw her walk in holding his hand.
             
             

             
It was none other than his ex-girlfriend.
Newly ex.
So not the business, Jes thought to herself. They were here on real business. Melissa was probably here to start some trouble. She was sitting in the front of the room. Wearing a skimpy ass outfit and some fuck me boots.
Seriously?
Women and their insecurities always got the best of them.
The whistle on your teapot is blowing.
Had them doing things they wouldn’t normally do if they really took the time to think about it.
Guilty.
Hadn’t she done the same with Marcus?
She wasn’t going to focus on his ex, wasn’t her problem. Should she feel bad for Melissa?
Hell no!
The incident in the cafeteria pressed forward in her mind, she quickly killed the feeling. She wouldn’t feel bad for Melissa. Jes wasn’t the type of women to shove hurt into another woman’s face, so she quickly untangled her hands from Draven’s and looked for a placed to sit.

             
They were inside an observation room. Royce and Ronin were inside with Solon and
a
conscious Oliver.
She spotted Bells out of the crowd and her friend rose to her feet when their eyes met. There was silence as Melissa stared at her.
Maybe she under estimated the other woman’s cool. Melissa’s eyes were glowing and it looked like her mouth was over-stuffed with food. She was actually attempting to change. Right here? Right now?
Draven’s arms wrapped tight around her, extricating the breath from her lungs. He let her go immediately when he realized he was hurting her.
It wasn’t on purpose.
Calm down.
He was reacting to his ex.
His eyes were large and unsure when he saw her rubbing her arms. It wasn’t his fault and she let him know by placing her hand on his chest.
A low snarl slipped between his lips, and for a
microsecond,
she thought it was for her.
She froze; Draven’s hand massaged her shoulder.
He raised her head to meet his concerned green gaze.

             
“Never would I hurt you Jes. Never.”
He said passionately. Melissa let out a growl and that got the attention of everyone in the room.
She watched as Melissa forcefully pushed a chair out of her way, headed in their direction.
Draven held her still, and for the first time in a very long time, she didn’t feel the need to bolt.
His arms were back around her in a show of protection.

             
“Sit the fuck down, Melissa.” Draven growled.
Melissa looked between Jes and Draven. The calculation in her eyes was clear; she’d already planned her next course of action. Melissa slumped her shoulders and turned. Carefully she sat back down, body rigid and racked with heavy breathing. She didn’t look defeated, but patient.
The rest of the men in the room said nothing, but were on guard.
They were each tense and ready to spring into action without preamble.
Dravaggio cleared his throat; everyone in the room put their eyes back on the window.

             
“Now that we’ve got everyone’s fucking attention.” Ronin drawled. “Let’s get this party started.”
Ronin looked over at his twin, stood and nodded in his direction.
             

             
“Brother, if you would be so unkind as to do the honors.” He splayed his hands to encompass everyone on the other side of the glass. “The people want to see us work our magic.”
Ronin said with a genuine smile. Jes felt a little uncomfortable. Ronin seemed very happy about the entire process.

             
He looked at everyone on the other side of the window, smiled right at her.
There was lust in his eyes. It wasn’t for her;
clearly,
he got off on interrogating people.
Freaky.

             
She knew he could read her thoughts and Ronin grinned even wider, all teeth.
“Ah, honey, you’re hot, but not my type.”

             
Ronin looked at Bells. She bristled in her chair and averted her eyes in the opposite direction.
What was that all about?
She could see the vein at the side of Royce forehead tick in frustration. She looked at the two men strapped to their chairs, hands, feet manacled. Solon gave the brothers the evil eye.
She saw the utter look of defeat on Oliver’s face. Or was that calm?
He didn’t argue or struggle just looked straight ahead.
He knew what was going to happen to him, as did everyone on the other side of the window. He’d worked with these men, they’d trusted
him,
and now he was a traitor. That couldn’t bode well for him in the least.

             
Ronin walked over and stood in front of Oliver’s chair. He braced his hands on the back of the chair’s
headrest
. Bent his head low, he got all up in the other man’s breathing space, and sniffed.

             
“I know you know the drill Oliver, you piece of shit.” Ronin spat. “But in all fairness, I promised the good people a show. Captain gave me the go ahead to get sadistic on your ass.” Ronin looked over his shoulder to the observation window and grinned.

             
“Royce and I have ways of making a bastard talk but we save the special treatment for the traitors, so if you have a weak stomach I suggest you bounce.”

             
No one moved. Ronin shrugged his shoulders and turned back to Oliver.
Can’t be that bad.
She thought.
She watched closely as Ronin’s already large body grew larger.
There were audible gasps from their side of the window and low murmur’s. She heard things like “I didn’t know the bastard could do that.” And the collective, “What the fuck!” Didn’t they know what he was? Or had they thought what she had assumed? That he was some sort of shifter. But not after the blood exchange.
She’d wanted his brother in a way that was feral, primal. The baser part of her brain had tuned to him on in a single-minded level.

             
“That’s right doll.”
He turned to look at her through the window and winked. Everyone still stared at Ronin who now looked like the incredible hulk times ten minus the green. His hands were tipped with claws and there wasn’t any fur. Oliver tried to sit further back in the chair but his head banged against the
headrest
, cracking the wood.
Ronin
spoke;
his voice was deeper, stuffed full of fangs.

             
“You, go nowhere.” He said, dark threads of silk wrapped around her throat and pulled. His voice was somn
or
ific. Jes looked to the other women in the room. She wasn’t the only one affected by Ronin’s voice.
His hand shot out to Oliver’s neck choking him. His face bent forward until he and Oliver were face to face. He took a couple of deep breaths.
Was he trying to inhale the other man?
She chanced a look over to Solon who sat still.
He didn’t seem afraid, it was like he didn’t really care either way, but he still looked on, expectant.

             
“I smell fresh mouthwatering food.” A moan slipped from his mouth as he got closer. He was all animal. Royce walked over to his brother and placed a hand on his back. “What did I tell you?”
Ronin grunted. “We always play with our food.” Royce slapped Oliver hard across his face.

             
“Why were you at the cottage where Jesminda’s daughter was being kept?” Royce asked lazily. He took his hand off his brother’s back and causally leaned against the wall, lit one of his red cigarettes and waited.