Stain (King's Harlots MC Book 2) (18 page)

“Because it’s her life we’re talking about.” I shrugged, playing it cool like her life didn’t matter when really, it mattered more to me than my own.

“She’s a toy. Her life shouldn’t matter. Bruce!” Charles called out, not waiting for my response. The fucker was smart because if I had it my way, he would be long dead in the ground before he took his next breath. Meeka was not a toy. None of the girls were but I had to act. And fucking act I did. God, I needed a vacation.

A large man, who I could only guess was Bruce, appeared in the hallway. “Sir.”

“Bring me the papers. Our dear friend Ash here is a little impatient.” Charles winked at me. “And make sure to bring me the collar as well. I don’t want his toy getting out of hand.”

Meeka stiffened beside me.

Fucking fucker.

I WAS
brave. I was strong. I was a woman, and no one could mess with me. Standing beside Asher proved just how much of that was actually true. I bit back a scoff. I didn’t believe the words chanting in my head, but I sure as hell tried to.

While he and Charles discussed business, I used it as a distraction to scope out my surroundings. Much to my dismay, the collar Charles had placed around my neck, thankfully giving Asher the chain, held my head in place. The contraption was stiff. The metal around my throat was thick, making it almost impossible to look around me without moving my whole body. But I couldn’t do that for fear Charles would notice. I could only guess that Asher was checking out where we were. From what I saw, the mansion was old. The little research I had done was that the place had been in the family for centuries. Charles Brian was heir to a prestigious line of bastards, and if he didn’t meet the requirements that had been set out for him, he wouldn’t gain what he felt was rightfully his.

Charles may have not been the sole leader of the organized crime but he was as high up as we could get for the moment. Asher had been trying to get into the house for weeks. I wasn’t sure which house it was or who exactly we were dealing with. If the main person was as terrifying as Charles, we were officially screwed.

When we had walked into a sitting area, Asher indicated for me to kneel at his feet while he sat comfortably on a couch. As much as I didn’t want to submit when Charles was there, I knew I had to for Asher’s safety. The bite of the cool marble flooring sent a shiver over my heated skin. Much like the metal wrapped around my throat, all I could do was sit and hope for the best that the meeting would be over soon.

I tried paying attention to the words flowing between Charles and Asher but my mind kept drifting to my past. A past that had always involved Asher. A past where he had spent as much time with me as possible so he didn’t have to go home. I never knew what hid behind the walls of his house. I only knew that he came to me at night and slept on the floor of my bedroom and left before the sun rose in the morning. I never asked what his step-father did to him or made him do. But if the incident in the shower was any indication of the triggers his nightmares had conjured up, my best friend needed me in ways I never knew existed.

“Meeka,” Asher barked out my name, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Looks like she is ignoring you.” Charles laughed.

“Sorry.” My cheeks burned. “What was the question?”

Asher leaned down to my ear, his hot breath scorching the side of my face. “As much as this is an act, I will punish you if you embarrass me again.”

I swallowed hard, a flush of heat roaming over my skin. “I’m sorry.”

“Now answer the question,” he demanded, sitting back in the couch, and pet his hand over my head.

“How much do you think a life is worth?” Charles asked, finishing the sentence for him.

“It’s priceless,” I answered automatically, meeting Charles’ gaze.

“And why is that?”

“Because no one should have a price on their head. No matter what. These girls are worth more than the money you spend on them. Their training, the people who want to buy them, and so on.” I was rambling but I couldn’t help it. I needed to let Charles know that although I was absolutely terrified of him, I wouldn’t back down. For Jay, for her sister, for King’s Harlots. For every fucking female in the damn country. I would fight Charles until every last one of them were saved.

“You think so? Do you think their life is worth more than yours? How about Asher’s?” Charles raised an eyebrow, challenging me. “What if I said that these girls were thrown away like next week’s trash? Addicts, whores, the lowest of the low when it comes to the human life.”

“Clearly, they didn’t have anyone to help them,” I countered.

“And what would you do to help them, pet?” Charles asked, sitting back in the couch and crossed his ankle over the opposite knee.

“I would make sure they have a place to go.” I shrugged. “Maybe they have no one.”

“You, dear girl, are way too nice.” Charles nodded once. “What have you been teaching her? To love others as you love yourself?” he scoffed. “Fucking please.”

Asher shifted behind me, keeping his hand wrapped around my nape. “Unfortunately, she still has a mind of her own.”

They both laughed.

As much as I knew Asher wasn’t serious, the coldness in his chuckle sent a shiver racing down my spine. Never in my life had I heard such a dark evilness when it came to laughter. Between him and Charles, I wasn’t sure who was worse. Every now and again, I had to remind myself that this wasn’t Asher. This wasn’t the man I had feelings for. Yes, I loved his Dominant side, but this took on a whole other level when it came to control.

“You need to get on that,” Charles reminded him. Snapping his fingers, he smirked. “How about I show you what happens when a girl is finally broken?”

My heart picked up speed when the sound of a door opening from the other side of the room jarred through my thoughts. Chains rattled. Feet shuffled.

“Ah, yes, here she is.” Charles rose to his full height, closing the distance between him and a frail girl. Her dark hair was pulled back into a messy bun, loose curls framing her pale face. Her bright-blue eyes twinkled. She swayed on her feet but she kept her gaze locked with Charles. A white, sheer night gown hugged her curves. A flutter of shock ran through me at how healthy she looked. Besides the drug-induced haze, she appeared normal.

“Our clients don’t want to receive a broken and damaged package. Not physically, at least.” Charles moved around the girl. “Eric Vega was a rookie.”

Asher shifted slightly at the mere mention of his old boss’s name.

“He didn’t follow the rules. He assumed that he could do whatever the hell he wanted just because of who he was. But he made the wrong choice when he took the twins.”

Jay and Violet.
My throat went dry.

“You see, in this line of work, you can’t take someone who will be missed. It doesn’t work that way. Eric got a head of himself and wanted to showcase his power.” Charles laughed. “Which clearly, it didn’t work out for him.”

The girl wavered on her feet.

Charles pulled the chain, forcing her to knees with a thump.

The sound vibrated through me. Although landing on the hard floor probably hurt like hell, no emotion showed on her face.

Charles sat forward, holding the end of the chain tight in his hand. “I have a feeling that in a couple more weeks, you’ll be allowed into the main house.”

“A couple more weeks?” Asher snapped.

“Watch the tone. You may be huge, but I’ll still kill your ass if you continue to step out of line,” Charles sneered. “And you wouldn’t want that. Meeka would then be left in my possession. Oh, the things I could do to her.”

I shivered at the venom dripping from his voice.

“How much?”

Charles grinned. “It’s always money with you, isn’t it?”

“That’s because it’s the only thing that makes you see reason. How much?” Asher repeated.

“I don’t want any more money but my boss might.” Charles looked down at the girl kneeling at his feet. Something passed behind his dark gaze. Regret? Sorrow? Pain? I wished that was what I had seen, but it wasn’t. Whatever the emotion was, it sent bile burning up my throat.

“The mind is a fragile thing,” Charles stated. “It’s built up of tiny wires, and if one of them crosses, so much can happen. You can break it down, mold it, make the mind what you want it to be unless the victim is strong.” His gaze met mine. “You’re strong, aren’t you? That’s why Asher has a hard time training you, even though he won’t admit it.”

I shifted on my knees, not liking to talk about Asher when he was right behind me. He trained me like Charles had demanded, but there was only so much that can be done in a short amount of time. All of the other undercover operations I had been on required months of learning your role. It was next to impossible when I was thrown into the mix and demanded to submit to Asher because I was the only one he trusted.

“Tell me what I have to do to get into the house,” he said, not bothering to comment on Charles’ accusation.

“You’ll see.” Charles scratched his chin. “In time.”

Asher rose to his feet, pulling me along with him. “Fine. We’re done.”

“You think you are, but you aren’t.” Charles snapped his fingers.

Two, large, beefy-looking men appeared almost out of nowhere. They grabbed hold of Asher, pulling him from my grip.

“What the fuck?” he snapped out.

“You see.” Charles rose to his feet, petting his hand along the girl’s head which was probably the only nice thing she would get from him. “I have to make you understand that you do not call the shots. If I want you in the house, you will get in the house. I may have a boss but I’m trusted with making decisions. And you don’t scare me.”

Charles took a step toward me, his saunter demeaning and controlled. “Keep your eyes on me. If you so much as even glance his way, I will hurt him. And I know you don’t want that, now do you?”

“Please,” I whispered.

“I’m sorry.” He cupped his ear. “What was that?”

“Please don’t hurt him,” I said, louder.

“I won’t as long as you listen to me.” He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him. “Let’s begin, shall we?”

SEEING MY
woman in another man’s arms should have had me falling apart. It was what Charles wanted, but I refused to break. I wasn’t one of his victims. I was a fucking Navy SEAL. I didn’t crack under pressure. I was trained by the best.