Their Virgin Hostage, Masters of Ménage, Book 5 (30 page)

Now Law, he stared at her butt. She caught him all the time.
At this moment, her butt was sore after the spanking and even more thorough
fucking. Why did she love the soreness? Why did every little ache remind her of
Dominic and the gently forceful way in which he’d taken her?

What was he thinking at this point, that she didn’t have a
brain in her head?

They would dump her as soon as the feds had Greg in custody.
And she couldn’t blame them. How much had her actions already cost people? She
was transporting diamonds that had been mined by slaves. She was working with
factories that probably used child labor.

A sharp knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts.
She didn’t need anyone to see her like this. “I’m in the shower.”

“
Kinley
, let me in.” Riley’s voice
sounded through the door.

He was the last one she needed. He was so smart. Riley had
resisted his physical attraction to her. Now he probably wished he hadn’t given
in. “I’ll be out in ten minutes.”

Maybe she could compose herself by then.

There was a slight rustling sound, then the door popped
open. Riley had his driver’s license in his hand. “Interior doors are a breeze.
And you lied. You are not in the shower.”

But she was naked. She grabbed a towel. “Privacy please.”

He frowned, his eyes on the towel. “Why? You didn’t want
privacy before. You were perfectly happy to be naked in front of me. Or is it
only Dominic and Law you’re comfortable around? What happened,
Kinley
? You decide you didn’t really like three men?”

“God, you are so damaged. That’s where you go? Everything
has to be about you?” She was just about done with his attitude. “It can’t be
that I just figured out how much of a fool I am? No, we have to go back to your
problems and your issues. Go away, Riley. I’ll be out when I’m ready.”

She turned away from him, brutally aware she’d just been a
complete bitch.

Riley’s arms wound around her waist and pulled her back.
“I’m sorry. It didn’t occur to me because I don’t think you were a fool. I
think you’re sweet and loving, and had no way to see this coming. You’re far
too good for the likes of Jansen…and me. But I’m going to ask you to overlook
that little flaw because I’m crazy about you.”

Tears filled her eyes. “That’s not fair.”

She wanted to be alone. She wanted to wail and blame herself
for everything and Riley wasn’t going to let her.

“It’s all right, sweetheart.” He said the word like he
really meant it, his hand smoothing back her hair as he cuddled her close.
“It’s okay. You made a mistake, but it was an honest one. You did it because
you were hopeful. He took advantage of your giving nature.”

“Just like it happened to you.” If she could get him to
understand that what Simone did wasn’t his fault, maybe all the pain would be
worth it. “There was nothing wrong with you or Law or what the three of you
want. Simone had the problem.”

He stared down at her. “All right, Mary Sunshine. I’ll go
with it, but only if you promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“Don’t let this change you. Stay as sweet and hopeful as
you’ve always been, and I’ll try to find the positive guy inside me.” He
grimaced. “I’m warning you, though. He’s buried deep. It might take me a
while.”

She could wait. “Okay. It’s a deal.”

Kinley
tilted her head back,
looking up at Riley as he kissed her, sealing their deal.

Reluctantly, he pulled back. He reached into the shower,
turning the water off. “We need you to skip the shower. No cause for alarm, but
we’re thinking it might be a good idea to change locations. You know, stay
safe, just in case.”

“What about the FBI? Aren’t they coming to see us?”

Regret skipped across Riley’s face. Then the lights
flickered and died.

His whole body stilled. When she began to ask about a
generator, he shoved a hand over her mouth. His eyes bored into her as he
whispered. “No talking. Give it a second.”

The lights came back on. And died seconds later. A loud
buzzing followed, an alarm signaling something.

“Fuck.” Riley paled. “Listen to me very carefully. The
security system is offline because someone cut the power to it. The generator
is top of the line, and so is the backup. We have to assume someone took both
of them out.”

Shockwaves pinged through her system. “Do you think it’s FBI
agents working some sort of sting? They’ve been looking for me.” She’d signed
the affidavit that she wasn’t a hostage, but who knew if they’d believe that or
assume she’d been made to sign under duress.

“The feds would announce themselves, and the feds know what
we’re doing. I’m starting to think that Jansen has someone on the inside, and
we’re screwed. Here’s what’s going to happen. Jansen wants the diamonds. I have
to hide them. If he gets his hands on them, he’ll kill us all. My gun— Damn it,
my gun is back in the office. Law is out at the hangar, and Dominic should be
rounding up the dogs.”

“Greg is here?” Oh, god, if he was in this house, he was
coming after her. And he wouldn’t come alone.

Suddenly, she heard an odd popping sound.

“Gunfire. Shit. Sweetheart, I need you to hide. I’m not sure
where that gunfire came from, maybe the back of the house.”

Kinley
grabbed the clothes she’d
brought in with her. She’d picked them up without thinking. She was holding a
pair of jeans covered in blood diamonds. She never wanted to see another pair
of jeans again.

An idea struck her. She quickly opened the medicine cabinet.
There was a nail file, the metal kind with a nice pointed end. She went to work
on the stitching in the back pocket. After a couple of good twists, it was easy
to pull the heavy scrap of fabric apart from the rest of the pants. “We need to
hide the diamonds, but the actual jeans are bulky and it would take too much
time to pry each stone off individually.” She reached for the bottle of her
favorite shampoo. She dumped half of it into the shower and then stuffed the
pockets in one at a time.

Riley kissed the top of her head. “I will spank you if ever
call yourself dumb again. You’re brilliant. He needs them all. Every single
diamond.”

She nodded. “All right, but I think Dominic took the rest of
them. I don’t know where they are.”

“I do. He took them to the office. He was going to put them
in a bag or something so you didn’t have to look at them.” Riley’s face
tightened. “I need to get to those jeans.”

Riley hesitated, but
Kinley
knew
his brothers could be out there dying right now. Her men were in danger, and
she would do anything she could to stop it. “Go. I’ll stay and be exactly what
Greg expects me to be—a hostage. He won’t kill me.”

“You don’t know that,
Kinley
.”

No, but…
“You have
to leave. Greg and his goons could be here any minute.” Her hands were shaking
as she pushed him away. “Go. If you can find a way to get to the jeans, hide
more of the diamonds. Hurry. We’re running out of time. He won’t kill me until
he has them all. Can you get out the bathroom window?”

Riley drew her close, kissing her hard. “I can get out of
it. You stay alive. Do you understand me?”

With a nod, she dashed into her room, the damaged jeans in
her hand. She folded the jeans neatly, so the damage didn’t show. Her heart
pounding, she retreated to the bathroom where Riley was just disappearing
through the high window.

She was alone.

“
Kinley
!” Greg’s voice floated
from down the hallway, inciting a sharp pang of terror. She bit her lip. Being
brave didn’t come naturally to her, but she had to find that within her now.
“Come out, you bastards. There’s no place to hide!”

He was getting close. She had seconds to decide how to play
this.

Hide in plain sight.
Like the diamonds.

She turned the shower on again. There was really only one
thing to do. God, she didn’t want to do it, but she pulled his shirt over her
head and stepped into the shower. Cold water sluiced down her skin. She shook
but forced herself to soap her hair.

The door shook as it came open.

“What do you want, you assholes? Are you going to rape me
now? Trust me, the cold shower is working just fine to soften me up. I swear
when my fiancé gets ahold of you, you’re going to be sorry.”

“
Kinley
?”

She hated the very sound of Greg’s voice, but she forced
herself to gasp in surprise and poke her head out of the shower. “Greg?” She
asked the question tentatively as though utterly hopeful. “Oh, my god. Is it
really you?”

He was standing there wearing dark pants and a black
turtleneck. It was elegant, but now
Kinley
saw why
he’d chosen it—black wouldn’t show the blood he intended to spill. He was a
well-dressed viper, waiting to strike.

He was also a damn fine actor. His face softened. “Oh, my
sweetheart. I thought they had killed you.”

He reached out his hand. With her stomach in knots,
Kinley
took it.

Dominic hid behind the west wall of the house, moving as
silently as he could across the deck. The key was to stay close to the wall. He
edged along, stopping every few seconds to listen and ensure that no one was
sneaking up behind him.

Surely someone had heard the gunshots. One of Jansen’s men
would walk out any minute now and see the dead body on the lawn, but Dominic
didn’t have time to hide it. He needed to get into the house and get
Kinley
out. Unless Riley had already done it. He’d been the
only one in the house with her. Dominic prayed that his brother had heard the
gunshot and spirited her out to the hangar with Law. They had weapons there—and
a radio. With any luck, Riley, Law, and
Kinley
were
holed up and formulating a plan, just waiting for him to reach them.

Or his brother could be dead, and
Kinley
could be at the mercy of a man who had none.

What the fuck had gone wrong? This was all his fault. He
should have moved her once a day, but no. He’d been so sure that no one would
find them in the wilderness. Breaking
Kinley
down had
been more important than protecting her from the monster she’d nearly married.

Dominic cursed under his breath. Guilt threatened to
overwhelm him. He should have thought of her first. He should have put his
revenge on hold and simply helped an innocent woman.

But then he would never have known what it was like to hold
her, to watch her laugh, to love her.

God, he was in love with her, and now she might die.

Gigi yipped as though barking at him to move him along.

He looked down at the two dogs following at his heels. If he
hadn’t been in the woods while they ran around and did their business, he might
have heard Jansen’s SUV coming up the road himself.

“Hush,” he hissed as quietly as he could.

Butch sat back on his haunches, looking up. He was a good
little soldier, the mutt. But Gigi was one high-strung rat thing. It was
probably getting close to meal time for her. And she was going to get him
killed if she didn’t shut up.

“Handle your woman,” he muttered to Butch as he continued
his slow, creeping steps toward the back door.

“How did you find me?”
Kinley’s
voice was soft, but he could hear her through the thick pane of glass. He was
standing right beside the window to her bedroom. His heart threatened to leap
out of his chest when he realized who was in there with her.

“I have my ways, darling. I’m just so glad that I got here
in time. You have no idea what the last few days have been like.” Jansen’s
voice was deep with emotion. Dominic would hand it to him for that Oscar-worthy
performance. “Tell me,
Kinley
, did they hurt you?”

He heard her sniffle a little. “Yes.”

What game was she playing?

“How?”

“They scared me, Greg. They drugged me. They threatened my
dog. They kept me awake for long periods of time. They tied me up. And then,
just when I thought they were letting up because they allowed me a shower, they
made it ice cold. They were going to make me as uncomfortable as possible. I
don’t know why. Why does that man hate you?”

Oh, he was so going to smack her ass for ever calling
herself stupid.

Law was in the hangar.
Kinley
was
with the enemy. Where was Riley? God, he had to pray his brother wasn’t in
there with
Kinley
.

“If it’s who I think it is, darling, then he hates me
because I was married to his sister,” Greg said. “You know how I felt about
Carrie. I loved her. It took me years to find another wife I felt I could care
for as much. She was just…well, she was broken. I’ve kept this secret for far
too long, but she told me her brother sexually abused her. He’s insane,
Kinley
. Which is precisely why I need you to gather all of
your things so we get you out of here. He could hurt you. He would do it
because he knows it would kill me.”

Dominic’s vision nearly went red. He wanted to throttle that
fucker. How
dare
he?

“You mean, he isn’t in custody?”
Kinley
asked. “Didn’t you come with the police?”

Dominic calmed slightly because he could hear the worry in
her voice. Greg would think she was worried for herself, but Dominic knew the
truth. His brave and smart sub was worried for her Master. She was doing such a
good job. He couldn’t let his temper get them all killed. For the first time in
years, he’d found something he needed more than revenge. He’d found
Kinley
Kohl.

Greg hesitated. “Darling, I have some men looking for him
now, but the police wouldn’t come and arrest him because you signed that
affidavit.”

The one Greg could only know about because he had a source
inside the FBI, just as Dominic had suspected.

“They made me sign,” she said quickly, putting just the
right amount of tears in her voice. “I think they were trying to buy time.
Surely, the police are still looking for me. I-I was worried they would kill me
if I didn’t sign. I was so afraid.”

Dominic needed to figure out how many men Jansen had brought
with him. He’d killed one, but there were surely more. He’d caught the one
coming out of the building that housed the generator. He’d seen the SUV as soon
as he emerged from the woods. It could likely hold up to eight people.

One down, potentially seven to go.

And he still didn’t know where his brothers were.

Looking up and down the deck, Dominic tried to decide which
direction to go. The front would surely be guarded, but the house was rambling
and massive. He probably had the best shot at getting in around the back.

Dominic started easing in that direction. Leaving
Kinley
was hell, but he couldn’t shoot the fucker through
the windows. The James brothers were paranoid about their wife and kids. The
glass was damn near bulletproof.

He started to work his way down the porch.

And then he heard the creak that told him someone else was
walking on the wooden structure as well. He stilled, holding himself perfectly
quiet.

Gigi ran forward, yipping like a maniac.

The minute Gigi pranced off, Butch darted after her. They
ran toward the back, barking all the way.

A gunshot split through the air.

Gigi yipped, and Butch growled. Then the motherfucker showed
himself.

Dominic took the shot. The man in black went down.

Two down, possibly six to go. But, fuck, he was going to
invest in a silencer or he would get caught because it was so damn quiet out
here. If they were in New York, no one would notice him defending himself.

But they were in the fucking wilds of Alaska, and the sounds
of birds chirping did nothing to muffle the sound of a gun going off.

“Hold it!” A voice called out.

Dominic heard another shot, felt a bullet whiz by his left
arm.

“I got him, too!” A voice from behind him yelled.

He could shoot one, but then the other would take him out,
no problem. He could try to fight but he would lose. Once upon a time, that
wouldn’t have bothered him. He would have died simply to avenge Carrie.

But then he’d met
Kinley
. He’d
held her and loved her. He’d dreamed of a future with her and his brothers.
She’d accepted him for the good and the bad and the kinky. She’d taken
everything he had to give her.

He could fight and die. But that’s not what Carrie would
have wanted. She would have expected him to live for
Kinley
.

Now he just might die for her, too.

Dominic let the gun drop. “You won’t find the diamonds
without me.”

He would take the beating, the humiliation that was sure to
come, in order to give his brothers and their woman some time to escape.

He dropped his gun, opening himself to simply being killed
on the spot. Thirty-one years into his life, and he’d finally found his true
weakness: A sweet submissive with honey blonde hair and a smile like the sun.
His love. His wife.

He would die so she could have a chance to live.

But he wouldn’t die without a fight. “I know where the
diamonds are. You need those, don’t you? Your boss will be very upset if you
kill the only man who can lead you to them.”

“Fuck. Don’t shoot him yet. Jansen needs to hear this.” The
one on his right kicked the gun out of the way.

The one on his left moved in. “Put your hands over your
head.”

Dominic held his hands up, though it pained him. In the
distance, he saw movement by the hanger. A single figure shifted, as though
taking in the danger before hiding himself again.

Law had seen him. Law knew what had happened. Law would do
what it took.

Even if he died, Law would come for
Kinley
.
If both he and Riley died, Law would kill them all and then take care of
Kinley
.

As lousy as the situation was, this was exactly why he’d
sought a ménage. No one had been there for Carrie. When Greg had seen her as a
paycheck, she’d been all alone. Three men were fighting for
Kinley
.
She had three chances to live because every single one of them would die for
her. He could relax because his brothers had his back.

“Where the fuck are the diamonds?” The man on his right
shoved the barrel of his gun to his temple, jarring his head.

“I’m not saying anything to you. I’ll only talk to Jansen.”
He needed to give Law time to do his thing. There was no doubt that Law was
taking in everything, his brilliant battle mind deciding how to kill these
assholes most efficiently and lethally. Law knew how to take down the enemy. He
only needed time.

A foot kicked the middle of his back, and Dominic fell to
his knees. Jansen’s goon tucked the barrel of his gun between Dominic’s neck
and brain stem. One shot and he was done. “Tell me now or I shoot.”

A vision of
Kinley
reaching for
him wafted across his brain. She’d smiled slightly, like a beneficent goddess.
She’d drawn them together, accepting them all. Happiness might have been short
lived, but while it lasted, it had been glorious.

“No. I’m only talking to Jansen.” Dominic closed his eyes
and waited for whatever happened. It was so far from his usual behavior that he
laughed.

“Get up, then.” Someone roughly grabbed him and jerked him
to his feet. “You want to talk to the boss, fine. But we’re tying your hands
first. I have some zip ties in my bag. We cuff him then take him to the boss.”

As soon as they had bound his wrists behind him, Dominic
began the long walk to the back door, every step bringing him closer to
Kinley
. At least he would get to see her one last time.

* * * *

Law watched as two assholes hauled Dominic along, forcing
him to walk to the back of the house.

He didn’t have a shot. If he’d had a sniper rifle on him, he
could blow them away, but he didn’t. He had his SIG Sauer and two hundred yards
between him and two moving targets. And whichever one he didn’t nail first
would run and warn the rest of his crew, no doubt.

He had one chance to get back in that house.

Where was Riley? God, where was
Kinley
?
He hoped they were together. He prayed Riley had holed up with her and hidden
them well.

A thousand questions ran through his head, but in the end he
didn’t care who had come or why. He only cared that he killed every fucker who
had walked into that house, threatening his family. He would kill and kill and
kill until he got to their woman. That was his job now.

He moved from the right to the left, hugging the hanger,
keeping his body low as they walked Dominic along the west wall of the house to
the back door. All their attention was on Dominic. He disappeared inside with a
gun poking the back of his neck.

And someone was moving from the east side of the house, his
body close to the walls.

Riley. His brother was alive.

Law moved along the building, trying to reach the shortest
distance between him and that back porch. Two hundred yards. He had to get
there without taking a bullet.

Adrenaline rushed through his system.

Riley looked out over the space between them. He stilled,
his body going utterly motionless.

Law’s prayers were answered as Riley saw him. He glanced
behind him, before motioning Law on.

Law took off, his feet darting across the ground in utter
silence. All his years of training rushed back to him, making his every move a
graceful leap of faith. He stalked the distance between him and Jansen’s thugs.
He’d marked them for death. He would find them.

“Where the hell is
Kinley
?” Law
asked between gritted teeth as he caught up to his brother.

Their backs were against the wall, each looking in the
opposite direction, waiting for the threat.

“She’s with Jansen.”

Law was going to kill his brother. “You were supposed to
stay with her.”

“Jansen isn’t going to kill her,” Riley quietly explained.
“He wants his diamonds too badly, so he’s letting her think that he’s rescuing
her for now. This gives her time and a chance. I heard some of their
conversation, and she’s pretending that she’s still afraid of us. If I had
stayed, Jansen and his goons would probably have threatened to kill me. The
truth would have come out, and they would have used me as leverage against
Kinley
.”

“Yes, but now he’ll take off with her.” God, Jansen was
probably getting ready to do that right now.

Panic threatened to overwhelm Law. He was an ice man, always
cool under pressure, but the thought of his wife being taken hostage was just
about enough to give him a heart attack and to send him running straight into
that house like a madman.