Their Virgin Hostage, Masters of Ménage, Book 5 (32 page)

Greg turned to his cohorts. “Did it really take two of you
to bring him in? Is Ross the only one still at his station? Vince, take charge
of Mr. Anthony. You two get back to your posts. There are still two of them
potentially out there. I’m going to have a little talk with my bride and Mr.
Anthony. Then we’ll see what happens.”

The two thugs left, and Vincent took Dominic by the arm,
forcing him to his knees.

Seeing him that way hurt
Kinley’s
heart. He was always in charge, always in control. How humiliating it must be
for him to be on his knees, at the mercy of his enemy.

“I’ll help you look,”
Kinley
offered. “Just don’t hurt him.”

Dominic’s head came up. “What are you doing?”

Greg laughed, a nasty little sound. “She’s being her true,
idiotic self, Anthony. You fucked her, and now she thinks it’s love. How about
it? Do you love her? Is she your little sweetheart?”

Dominic’s eyes slid away from hers. “Of course I don’t love
her. I barely know her.”

The words hurt, but she knew what he was doing. He was
trying to save her, right? He had to be. He couldn’t exactly declare himself
here and now.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll still help you if you leave Dominic
alone.” She had to get the focus off Dominic.

“
Kinley
, you will not go anywhere
with him.” Dominic seemed to think he was still in charge of her at least.

“Ah, so you do have some feelings for the girl.” Greg hauled
her up again. “Tell me where the diamonds are or I might decide that I’m
bored.” He ran a hand up to her breast. “I might have to find a way to amuse
myself. I like it when they scream, don’t you, Anthony?”

Now Dominic was looking straight at her with murder in his
eyes. “Get your fucking hands off her.”

She caught sight of something moving in the background. Gigi
ran into the room, heading toward the kitchen door. She barked as Butch loped
into the room behind her.

It was feeding time. Gigi always reminded her it was
dinnertime by standing at her bowl and barking incessantly. Her bowl was in the
kitchen where the tiny dog was headed.

For the merest moment both Vincent and Greg had their eyes
on the chaos that had just run in.

She heard a gunshot, then saw Dominic rear back, catching
Vincent in the gut with the back of his head.

Kinley
took advantage of the
distraction by pulling her elbow and bringing it straight to Greg’s chest. He
cursed and stepped back.

“
Kinley
, get down!” Law yelled as
he entered the room, his gun drawn. He popped off a quick shot, hitting Vincent
Dargo
before the man could recover.

“Drop the weapon, Jansen. I took out everyone you brought
along,” Law said, his eyes on Greg.

“And I arranged the distraction with the dog,” Riley said,
holding his gun up. “That little bitch is getting a treat. So you really should
drop the gun. The game is over.”

Greg had never lost his footing. He stood tall. “Don’t you
two realize? The game is never over. I’m not going to be taken in.”

Time seemed to slow down. Greg raised his gun and aimed, and
Kinley
could see exactly where the bullet would hit.
Dominic scrambled to his feet, but his hands were bound behind his back.

He was helpless.

Without thinking of anything but saving Dominic,
Kinley
jumped just as Greg fired the gun.

She heard the sound of more gunfire splitting the air. It
seemed to come from everywhere all at once.

And then she felt fire in her chest, an agony unlike
anything she felt before. The air left her lungs. She gasped as she hit the
floor.

Dominic’s panicked face suddenly loomed over her. “Oh, god.
She’s hit. Get me out of these fucking ties.”

Hit. It didn’t feel like she’d been hit. This was so much
worse, like her chest had imploded. Fire scorched her lungs, taking away all
the oxygen and leaving her gasping for the tiniest bit of breath.

But Dominic was alive and unharmed.

She held on to that thought as the world went dark.

The nurse took the tray from her bedside table. “You didn’t
eat anything, hon. You have to eat to get your strength back or they won’t ever
let you out of here.”

Kinley
looked over at the nurse.
She was the nicest one
Kinley
had found since she’d
been admitted to the hospital in Anchorage two days before. “I don’t know why
the doctor won’t release me now. The surgery went fine.” The bullet had merely
nicked her lung.

She was ready to go home. Well, to whatever home she had
left. And it appeared she would be going alone.

Two days and no visitors. No phones calls. Nothing.

She was alone again.

“Well, you need time to rest. You’ve been through a lot. And
the press figured out where you are. The hospital is surrounded by news vans.
Doctor Craig is keeping them all away with some help from the police, too.”

Ah, the police. “I’m sure they want to talk to me. I should
just get it over with.”

The nurse patted her hand. “I’ll tell the doctor you said
you were ready. He’s been holding them off because he’s worried about you.
You’ve been…withdrawn. Do you think you’re up for a visitor? There’s a young
woman out there who’s very insistent on seeing you. We’ve checked her out, and
she isn’t a member of the press. This woman says her name is Annabelle Wright.
Would you like to see her?”

Belle had come all the way to Anchorage? At least
Kinley
had one person she could count on through thick and
thin. She nodded at the nurse. “Please.”

Two minutes later, Annabelle rushed in, heels clicking on
the cheap linoleum tiles, carrying a massive bouquet of flowers. “Oh, girl, you
are going to be the death of me. Thank God you’re all right.”

Tears welled in Annabelle’s dark eyes as she set the flowers
down and reached for
Kinley’s
hand.

“Hey, I’m okay.” She felt better with Annabelle here. A
sense of comfort eased through her. It didn’t stop the pain of Dominic, Law,
and Riley’s absence, but settled over the wound like a bandage. If she could
stop the bleeding, maybe healing would follow. “You didn’t have to come all
this way.”

Annabelle shook her head. “Of course, I did. God,
Kinley
, I got you into this. I agreed to help. I didn’t
imagine it would go so wrong.”

“If anyone is to blame, it’s me. I wouldn’t listen to you
about Greg being an obnoxious douchebag killer.”
Kinley
took a long breath. “Speaking of, I need to hire a lawyer. Can your guys
recommend someone for me? I have to sue my sister.”

Annabelle’s eyes grew wide. “They haven’t let you watch TV?”

“I didn’t want to.” The last thing she wanted was to see the
press interviewing Law, Riley, and Dominic, all alive and happy without her.

“Your sister has been arrested for embezzlement. The files
on your
iPad
showed plainly that she was the one who
moved the money around. Then pictures of her with Greg Jansen doing the nasty
surfaced. Your brother-in-law has already filed for divorce and is bringing the
kids back from boarding school.”

So those sweet kids would finally get the life they
deserved. “I’m glad. So the FBI is investigating?”

Annabelle huffed. “You have no idea. They’ve impounded the
diamonds, including the ones they found in the shampoo bottles. Nice job there,
Kin. They’re investigating everything. They realized they have an internal
leak.”

One that had sent Greg Jansen straight to their hideout,
where he’d almost killed Dominic. Instead, he’d shot her.

She could still hear Greg’s voice telling her all the things
that were wrong with her. He’d preferred her sister. He’d wanted someone
thinner, someone blonder. Someone more devious. “I hope they find the leak.”

“My bosses are going to force them to. They were wiretapping
us. You do not do that to lawyers without expecting some backlash.” She sighed
a little.

“Well, thank them for me, please. You saved me from a
tropical death, so it seems. You were the only one willing to step up and do
it.”

No one in her family loved her. She would have to be
grateful that Dominic had loved his sister enough to spend years bringing her
killer to justice.
Kinley
had to be satisfied that
she’d helped with that effort. But the men themselves…they were obviously gone.
She’d probably been a total fool—again—to trust them, but she’d always think of
those few days at the James compound as some of her happiest.

Annabelle squeezed her hand. “Gosh,
Kinley
,
I’m so sorry they hurt you. I always knew Becks was a nasty bitch, but I can’t
believe she’d actually steal from you and plot to kill you. And your dad is
being investigated for his participation. If I had to guess, I think he’s going
down, too.”

So everyone was getting what they deserved. Somehow it
didn’t make her feel better. It just depressed her more. The one bright spot
was her niece and nephew coming home.
Kinley
had to
be happy for that. She only hoped that Brian would allow her into the kids’
lives.

“It’s okay. I’ll survive.”
Kinley
tried to shrug, but the wound in her chest was stiff and sore. “I guess I need
to find a job.”

Her charity was surely in limbo until the investigation was
over, but she worried that with all the scandal it would go under anyway. She
needed to be able to feed herself and buy kibble for her dog—and any puppies
that came from her illicit union.

Annabelle stared at her blankly, blinking in confusion. “Why
would you do that? I mean, you need to wait until you’ve settled into your new
place in Dallas. Once the feds clear Hope House, you can start up again or find
different work, if you want. I personally think you should sell your engagement
ring to fund the reopening of Hope House, but I don’t think those guys are
going to let you get too far away.”

“Guys? Dallas?” She’d never actually been to Dallas. Why
would Annabelle think she was moving to Dallas? Though she would definitely
sell the ring. She liked the idea of hundreds of children being clothed by
Greg’s ring. “I’ve really been thinking about coming to Chicago. Hopefully, I
can find a job there.”

Annabelle was the only person on the planet that
Kinley
knew loved her. She trusted Belle more than anyone.
It made sense to move closer to her best friend.

“Oh, no.” Annabelle squeezed her hand. “Sweetie, where do
you think your men are?”

She shrugged, not wanting to have this particular
conversation. “I don’t know. The job was over. Mission accomplished. I’m sure
they moved on.”
Kinley
looked away. “They aren’t
mine.”

“Who do you think these flowers are from? If I’d bought it,
you would have two daisies, honey. But this is a really expensive arrangement.
Those men gave me very specific instructions about what to buy you.”

She glanced at the bouquet. They were high end, beautiful
and expensive. The vase looked to be crystal. So at least they had wanted to
send her something. They hadn’t come in person…but she supposed she would have
to mean something to them for that. “I’ll send them a thank you note.”

It would be polite and formal.
Dear Dominic, Riley, and Law, Thank you so much for the lovely floral
arrangement and for saving my life. It was a kind thing to do. And I truly
appreciated the lessons in sexuality and ménage. I will never forget the spankings.
They meant so much to me. Sincerely,
Kinley
Kohl.
P.S., you owe me for puppy support.

Annabelle’s phone chirped. She fished it out of her purse,
then looked down at the screen. Her face lit up. “They made it inside. You have
no idea how crazy it is out there. They’ve been trying to make their way in
here for hours. Wait a second.”

She turned to the door and opened it. A man walked through
wearing scrubs and carrying a clipboard. Two more men in scrubs followed him.

Her heart seized when she realized that under the bland
clothes and masks, it was Riley, Law, and Dominic.

Law tore his mask away and stepped up to her side, his eyes
wide. His expression softened as he took her in. “Baby, tell us everything.
We’ve been dying. Are you all right?”

They were here. Why? “
Uhm
, I’ve
been here for days. I’m alive. Don’t worry about me.”

Dominic took her hand. “And we’ve been in a forty-eight-hour
hold. The FBI has been questioning the hell out of us. They didn’t have to give
us a phone call or any rights. And the hospital is in virtual lockdown because
of the media frenzy out there. Annabelle only got in because Tate threatened to
sue the hospital. We had to sneak in to see you,
Kinley
.”

Riley moved around to her opposite side and cupped her
cheek. “Are you okay? They wouldn’t tell us anything. They said we weren’t
husbands or family, so we didn’t have rights to your information. God, I hated
every moment they kept us away from you. We need to fix that.”

He tried to pull her gently into an embrace.

What the hell were they talking about? She held herself
stiffly until Riley eased back with a frown. “Who kept you away?”

She still didn’t quite understand why Law, Dominic, and
Riley had come. When she’d awakened alone, that had felt like a statement—one
full of finality. She’d heard all those voices in her head that told her she
wasn’t good enough or pretty enough. That she would never be what three
incredible men wanted. No one had been there to hold her hand or talk to her or
reassure her that everything would be all right. Because no one cared.

“We’ve been saying that we were held for questioning, pet.”
Dominic reached for her other hand. “Do you understand? They held us the full
forty-eight hours because your doctors wouldn’t allow you to answer questions.
And our lawyers took their damn time getting here.”

Tears threatened. She couldn’t deny how much she loved
seeing them, even if she wasn’t sure why they’d come. Guilt? “No one said
anything. They wouldn’t even tell me what happened to Gigi.”

“We hired a dog sitter,” Law said quickly. “We flew them out
on a private plane. She’s fine. She and Butch are going to be here tomorrow so
we can all fly out together.”

So they planned to take her home. That was nicer than making
her find her own way back. She supposed that was the polite thing to do, given
that they weren’t really in the kidnapping business. “It will be good to get
back to New York.”

“You’re not going to New York.” Law crossed his arms over
his chest in a deeply forbidding gesture. “You’re going to Dallas.”

Riley’s jaw firmed stubbornly. “You’re not going anywhere
but home with us,
Kinley
. I know you’ll have things
to clear up there, but not until the press’s interest dies down. We’re going to
hole up at Dominic’s.”

“It’s our place, not just mine anymore. It’s our home, and
we want to take you there with us.” Dominic took her hand.

Why?
The question
floated through
Kinley’s
head, but she didn’t speak
it. What was the purpose? To put them in the position where they had to explain
the duty they felt to her, the responsibility to make sure she was safe from
the media, the feds, and whoever else wanted a chunk of her?

“
Kinley
, we’re going about this
all wrong.” Dominic raked a hand through his hair.

Annabelle rolled her eyes. “You sure are.”

Dominic ignored her. “
Kinley
, pet,
we want you to marry us and live with us. We’ll take care of you in every way.
Is that understood?”

Annabelle rolled her eyes. “
Doms
.
What is wrong with you?”

Hope lit up a corner of
Kinley’s
heart, but she refused to settle for less than everything. She wouldn’t be the
girl who took less than she deserved ever again. “I won’t live with men who see
me as just a responsibility to be taken care of. I won’t marry men who don’t
love me.”

Dominic’s eyes flared. “You haven’t said the words either,
pet.”

He had a point, just not a good one. “I got shot saving you.
That should speak very clearly about my feelings. After all, I’ll bear the
scars of loving you for the rest of my life.”

Dominic turned stark white. He looked somewhere between
horrified and tongue tied, and suddenly
Kinley
believed what they were trying to say. It took everything she had not to
giggle. She loved teasing her Dom Dom.

“You will never do that again.” He pointed a finger at her.
“I swear to god, pet, if you ever throw yourself bodily in front of a bullet
again, we will give you the spanking of a lifetime. You won’t be able to sit
down for a week. A month. And there will be no orgasms. Ever again.”

Law moved in, wearing a grin on his rugged face. She loved
seeing him smile. “Forgive him, baby. We’re all still in a little bit of shock.
We thought you were going to die, that we’d lost you. I love you,
Kinley
. And if you don’t come home with us and be our wife,
I’ll do everything I can to persuade you. No, I suck at that. I’ll pester you.”
He sighed. “Fuck that. I’ll just kidnap you again until you say ‘I do.’”

Riley glared at his brother. “Smooth, bro. Thanks.” Then
Riley focused all his attention on her. “I love you,
Kinley
.
Will you please marry us?”

Tears filled her eyes, happy ones. After Simone, she knew
how much it took for Riley to be the one to ask. “Yes, and I love you so much.
You, too, my stubborn and humorless Master. I love you, Dom Dom.”

Dominic laughed, the sound booming through the room and
filling her with joy. “I love you, pet. And once you’re healthy again, you’ll
see just how much.”

They all surrounded her, crowding her as they began to talk
about what had happened. They held her and kissed her and promised to never be
apart.