Chapter 24
Zain
“Black car,” I said, pointing to the luxury sedan pulling away from the parking garage of the expensive hotel my father was staying in. “He’ll be in that one.”
Blake’s eyes cut over to me. “How do you know? That could be anyone.”
My mouth opened, only to shut. “I just know. My father has one at home just like it.”
“So do thousands of people in this country. This was a bad idea. It’s like we’re looking for a needle in a haystack. You should have just let me call and ask if he was still there, like I wanted. Maybe I could have gotten some information from the front desk clerk.” Blake entered traffic, letting two cars separate us from whom I assumed was my father.
“Listen, I know Amir. He’s a creature of habit. That’s why he has guards. To protect him. He’ll have had what he knows made available so he feels comfortable. That,” I said, pointing again, “is my father.”
“If you say so,” Blake said, lowly. “If it’s not?”
The challenging look had my head cocking to the side and my eyes narrowing. “Are you proposing we wager something? Like a bet?”
Blake shrugged. “Why not?”
My attention went back to the car. With the way the lights hit from oncoming traffic, I could see the silhouettes of three men in the back. It was perfect. It was him. “Fine. If I’m wrong, I’ll—”
“Stand there and watch me kill your father.”
“What?” I was aghast and my voice showed it. I looked at the tracker, shocked and angry. “You can’t be serious? After how much you know I need this? That’s the stupidest thing I think I’ve ever heard you say.”
“This,” he stressed, “is the stupidest
idea
I think I’ve ever heard from someone who claims they have experience in these sort of situations.”
Anger intensified and I grabbed my coffee, taking a drink. “Do you do this sort of thing with Preston, the other guy you work with, too? Take his glory right out from under him?”
Blake’s head snapped back toward me. “You leave Preston out of this.” He waited few seconds and a smile eased to his face. “I actually got it from him. He started the whole bet thing, although ours are more on the humor side of things. With you, I just know where to push your buttons.”
“Well, you should have stuck to humor and not tried to piss me off. That’s not a good thing to do, just so you know.”
“Hmm, well I happen to find humor in my bet. The look on your face was enough.”
“You’re such an asshole.” I took another drink, trying not to smile. His had been glued to his face since the moment he started riling me up. Who was this man next to me, really? What kind of person was he around his wife? His friends? All I knew was he was true, honest in the way he carried himself. He came off hard and unfeeling, but that wasn’t all he was.
The car turned and I put down my coffee. Pulling out my gun, I put a bullet in the chamber.
“Hold on.” Blake’s eyes scanned the area as we followed behind. A traffic light loomed ahead and he slammed his foot on the accelerator, jumping past the cars that separated us, until we were even with the sedan. “Do you recognize any of them?”
The windows were too dark to see inside. My head lowered, catching the driver’s face from the glow of a passing car. The street was industrial and deserted. No businesses were close enough to catch anything, which only meant one thing—no cameras.
“Yep. The driver is a guard. Mohammed. Looks like I won.”
Blake cursed under his breath and increased the speed even more while we both pulled down the masks sitting on the top of our heads. “I’ll take out the driver and the passenger to buy time. You do what you need to do.” He jerked the wheel, placing us in front of the car and slammed on the brakes. The force pulled me forward, but I managed to unbuckle fast enough. We both threw open the door at the same time and the cracking glass from the windshield was louder than the shots.
I raced for the back, my gun drawn as I approached. “Don’t do it, Zain.” My cousin’s voice filled the street as the back door was thrown open. He raised the gun and time slowed as my heart slammed into my chest.
I weaved to the side and pulled the trigger as the sound of metal getting hit shrieked behind me. Though, it was only a distant thought as I watched my cousin drop to the ground. Such havoc and chaos reigned down around us and yet, I had no doubt people were peacefully sleeping not streets over. My breathing deepened as I saw Blake coming up on the other side.
“Out, now,” I growled at my father. His eyes were wide, fearful, as he looked up at me. I’d never in my life seen anything but anger or emptiness cloud his vision. The sudden change of emotion had my hand reaching in and grabbing him out. The man sitting beside him was already dead. I’d never heard the shot coming from Blake’s weapon.
“Make it fast,” Blake said, quietly.
Arabic poured from my mouth as I grasped his throat, squeezing to make him kneel before me. He hit the ground hard and my fingers rose, clenching in his hair while I shoved the barrel of my gun into his mouth. “You spilled blood to bring me in. The blood of my mother and a man I considered more of a father than you ever were. Since then, you’ve done nothing but cause damage in the lives of others, doing the unthinkable to their children. I’ve been waiting for my time to finally make the bleeding stop. That day is today. You wanted a killer. Here I am, father,” I said, pushing the barrel in even deeper. “It’s time I take what is owed to me and everyone else you’ve ever hurt. Death to bring me in. Death to set me free. Say hello to your brothers. Expect two more shortly.”
I thrust upward and pulled the trigger twice, letting him drop to the ground. Not once did I break eye contact. I needed to see his fear. See the life leave him. It didn’t bring back the child he’d damaged, but there was a sense of peace within the man he created. A closure I hadn’t expected.
“Let’s go,” Blake said, pulling on my arm. “I want to get the hell out of here.”
I was already obeying before he could finish. The SUV took off at a fast speed and I ripped the mask free, tossing it into my lap.
“You okay?” Blake looked over, his mask also gone.
“Never been better.”
My stare went to the urban setting outside and I let myself zone out. I’d been telling the truth. I hadn’t felt this light since before I’d been taken. Lily was safe. Slade was on board with us being together. My father and more of his men were dead. There were only two more people on my list, then I’d be completely released from my past.
“Can you give me some time with Lily before we head to Afghanistan? There are some things she and I need to take care of before I can leave.” Asking Blake to wait didn’t sit well. I had always been like him, solo, but he already had the address. If I didn’t get him to comply, he’d go on his own and I knew it.
“Yeah, sure,” he said, lowly.
I could tell there was something on his mind, but he kept his gaze straight ahead.
“Listen, I’m going to drop you off. Tell Slade I’ll be in contact. My wife called earlier. I think I’ll head home early and surprise her. Maybe spend a few days there before I head back this way to tie some things up with Gaige.”
Blake turned down our road and I could tell whatever he was thinking about, it was deep. His eyes kept narrowing as if trying to calculate some impossible problem. I pushed it away as he pulled to the front of the building.
“I’ll be back two weeks, to the day. Be ready.”
I leaned back, putting the gun back in the big black bag. It wasn’t mine or Marcio’s, it was Blake’s. Everything I was armed with was his.
“I’ll be ready.” I opened the door and slid out, nodding as I closed it and headed for the entrance. My mind slipped into thoughts and I let Lily take me over as I hit the button for the elevator. Was she waiting for me? Worried? Sleeping?
Stepping inside and hitting the button for the floor was a fog. Memories of how her body felt under mine had me leaning against the glass walls. So soon she’d be mine again. My slave would be kneeling and begging me for more. God, yes. I needed her submission. Needed her screaming as I made her come all over my cock.
The wealth of pent up emotions I held nearly suffocated me. I’d had a taste of what was mine. Felt her pussy around me for the first time in years. The beast inside had been teased and he was desperate for more. There was nothing else holding me back. No more barriers. The Master in me was about to be sated. I could feel him take over as the elevator opened and I was faced with Marcio and Brace. They immediately stood upon my entrance.
“All good?” Marcio took a step toward me.
“Done. Is Lily ready?”
I reached for the doorknob.
“Actually, she’s too tired to leave tonight,” he said, looking toward Brace. “She wants to go in the morning. Slade said you can tell her you’re okay and here, but you’re to sleep on the couch. That’s final. Already put a blanket and pillow there for you.”
I pushed the door open. “The couch. Of course.” Had I been thinking Lily and I would be making love until dawn under some roof in Washington? I should have considered how exhausted she was. Shit, she’d been kidnapped and beaten for over two weeks. My priorities were out of line. It was time to get my head in the game. I was the Master of someone. That came with responsibilities. This wasn’t about me or what I wanted. This was about what was best for my slave.
Silence met me as I crossed through the living room and turned left, down a hallway. I knew from watching her that her room was located at the end of the hall. I slowly eased the door opened and the glow of her closet light greeted me. Lily lay in bed awake, tears staining her face.
“I knew you’d be back.” She threw the covers back and launched herself into my arms just as I made it to the edge of the bed. The scent of lavender from her body wash filled me and I let it intoxicate me.
“Of course I am,” I whispered.
The black, silk nightgown she wore only came down mid-thigh and I held in a groan as my hand gripped the material. I could see her breasts pushed against my chest, but hated that I couldn’t feel them from the bullet proof vest. It was probably for the best. I was seconds away from losing control and pushing her to the bed so I could have her the way I wanted, once and for all.
“Come to bed,” she said, pressing her lips to mine. “Hold me.”
Still, she continued to kneel on the mattress and kiss me. With each connection of our lips, her arms tightened around my neck. Torturously, I kissed her back, but extended my arms out so I couldn’t touch her anymore. My cock ached. My heart, even more so.
“I can’t, baby girl. Not here. I’ve got the couch tonight. Tomorrow, after you’re rested up, we’ll head out. Then, we’ll focus on us.”
“The couch? No,” she breathed out against my lips. “The bed.”
The order had me trying to pull back, but she held on tighter, trying to pull me closer to her.
“Bed. Please, Master.”
My fingers twitched as I held them out. I did make a sound then. Fuck, her begging was going to kill me. Maybe even get me killed.
“Couch,” Slade interjected behind me.
Lily’s head shot up and I smiled as she turned her attention back to me.
“Couch,” I repeated, a smile on my face.
“Shit.” She let go of my neck and pouted before reaching down and grabbing her blanket and pillow. “If he has to sleep on the couch, I’ll make a pallet on the floor. I want him near me. I can’t sleep without him there.”
Slade shrugged and yawned, waiting. I wrapped my arm around Lily and led her to the living room. The way he stopped and stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he let us settle made me feel like a kid being monitored. Respect was something I cherished, so I held to his rules, glad he was even allowing me under the same roof as his sister after everything that had happened.
Lily’s pillow and blanket hit the floor and I immediately scooped them up and tossed them on the couch. I took mine, putting them in her place. She didn’t question or disobey by taking them back off. The slave in her knew better. Instead, she climbed onto the leather and stretched out, snuggling in the covers pulled up to her neck.
“There are clothes in the hall bathroom for you to change into. We’re close to the same size, so they should fit. I just want to make things clear before the two of you leave tomorrow. After this…
re-acquaintance
ends, things are going to…” He shifted. “Let me just put it this way. I want the two of you to date. No rushing into something and moving in together or eloping. Or…”
The stress he was under was evident. I could tell he was exhausted and worn out. I sighed, glancing at Lily, only to bring my attention back to him.
“Dating sounds like a good idea. After all, I’ll see her at work. We can have dinners afterward. No worries.”
“You’re going to be working with me?” Lily asked.
“Not
with
you,” Slade said, rushing in. “Just, there, at the office. I’m going to test him in a couple of different places first. See where he fits.”
A slight smile came to her face, but she stayed quiet.
“Anyway, I’m just getting Mary more water. I heard you come in and thought I’d check on things. You two have fun on your trip. But…not too much fun.” He turned and Lily smiled at me. I couldn’t stop myself from returning it. To say Slade was taking his sister’s sudden connection with me easily would have been the understatement of the century. He was lost and unsettled. If I wanted to put him at ease and get his overall blessing, I’d have to play by his rules. But only once we got back. These next two weeks were all me and Lily and I wouldn’t take anything less. Master and slave were here to stay. Location wouldn’t make a difference. Come morning, Lily was going to find that out.