“Same answer.” I'm getting a headache.
“Look, Fallon, we just need to know who they go to after Clay. It used to be Councilman Rogers but it will change and I have no doubt there are others.”
“Look, Dickhead. What Clay gets up to in his own time has nothing to do with me or Helix. Could he be abusing company privileges with equipment and shit? Sure. He has the clearance; but again, that’s on Clay. So clearly you took the wrong person.”
His hands clench at his sides, but what really catches my attention is the bolt cutters that Thing Two just unhooked from a clip on his belt. The light hits just right to show the rust-colored stains on the blades. Oh, fucking gross.
“Get fucked!” I scramble back, not in control of my fight-or-flight reactions. My back presses against the wall. “I will be keeping my fucking fingers because I didn’t do shit! I didn’t drug or sell anyone!”
“But youdidcover it up, even if you weren't aware of Helix’s involvement. You buried the connection to the councilman. So what else have you made go away for your father?” This one gives me pause.Could they be right and I just haven't seen it?He’s taking slow steps closer as I tuck my fingers under my thighs.
Thing One, the vaguely decent one, chooses now to intervene. “That's enough.” The dominating bark in that voice not only has me surprised but also has me wondering what the bite feels like.Not the time, Fallon.
Thing Dickbag takes control again. “Well, Fallon, I think we’ve given you quite a bit to think about.” He’s clearly referring to both the questions and what will happen to me if I don’t give them what they want. “We’ll be back.”
All three stand and exit the room, with the angry one taking up the rear of the line. As he turns to shut and lock the door his deep, gravely whisper reaches me, “Sooner than you think.”
I am left alone again with my thoughts.Fuck.
Declan
I know she was close to breaking. I saw the catch in her eyes at the last question, and the flash of doubt was all I needed. We should have kept pushing. With Akio back in his computer lab looking into her friend Quinn a little closer, and Teo doing whatever the fuck, I have the perfect opportunity. Dressing to cover my ink and keep out the chill, I slide mymask on. It fits like a second skin, giving my demons the final go ahead to play.
Slipping into the cell silently, I find that she has finally fallen asleep. Creeping to her curled form in the corner, I take a moment to study her. That creamy skin bruises so easily. I can't help but notice the circles under her eyes, the cuts along her legs from her fall when we took her, and the fingerprint bruises from every time I couldn't control myself and grabbed her. I ignore the strange churning in my gut.Is that fucking guilt?With a sudden movement, I snatch her up into my tight embrace. One arm immobilizing her movements and the other hand gripping her mouth, preventing her from screaming.
“Now we get to play my way,” I whisper by her ear as she thrashes against my grip. Fuck if that curvy body fighting against mine isn’t making my mind shift in an entirely different direction than what I came down here for. Using one arm to hold her steady, I slide a blindfold into place with the other, making sure it is secure over her eyes.
With a tight grip on both her and my self-control, I walk her up the back steps, all the way to the roof balcony overlooking the back courtyard and pool. From four stories up, it’s a hell of a view, at least in the daylight – and a hell of a fall. The tiny crescent moon offers too little light to see far, leaving much of the property shrouded in darkness. No way she will be able to recognize the place if she’s released. Not that I plan for that to happen.
I take in the chill in the air and the pricks on her bare skin. My grip tightens, and when her quiet whimper reaches my ears, I barely bite back the groan rising in my chest. Fuck, this woman does something to me. Determined steps take me to the edge of the roof.
“Now are you ready to tell me about your role in this?” She’s starting to shiver from both the cold and fear. Good.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I already told you.” Her voice stays steady.
“What about covering it up?” I touch back on where we left off, the only question that brought a different reaction than the others. Most people would have told me whatever I wanted to know by now, even if it wasn’t true, just to make us stop. But not Fallon. The challenge has my blood pumping in my veins. The need to know what it will take to break her is coursing through my body.
“I do my job at Helix. I haven't covered up anyth…” Her words cut off when I tear off her blindfold. With her back to the edge I lean her backwards over the rail far enough for her feet to leave the roof. My grip on the back of her neck and shoulder prevents her from falling, but forces me to lean close.
Her breath quickens, eyes wide and darting. “I am not lying, I swear! You motherfucker!” Her voice rising with fear isn't what surprises me. It’s the name-calling of the only person keeping her from plummeting to her death.Brave or stupid. Either way I find myself grinning behind my mask.
“Maybe you need a little more motivation.” I flip her over so her hips grind against the stone rail and she comes face to face with a fall that would surely kill her. Her toes can't touch the ground and I am all that is keeping her from falling. An ear-splitting scream leaves her lungs. My one hand grips her shoulder, the other pinning her arms behind her back. Leaning over her to whisper in her ear, my body moves without my permission and I grind my hard dick against her perky, round ass.Fuckshe feels good. “What exactly have you covered up?” I ask, breath dancing against her throat.
“Nothing that you have talked about.” Her voice quivers. “The closest was ending our connection to the Councilman.” Even facing death, she sticks with it.Could she actually be telling the truth?I don't think my ego can handle Akio being right on this.
I let go for the briefest second before grabbing her again, giving her a taste of the fall she’s facing. Before I get the chance to ask another question, her voice rings out into the night.
“Fuck you. You don’t care if I’m telling the truth, you’re just pissed it’s not the answer you wanted to hear. You can go to hell, because you’re wrong, and letting me fall to my death will only feed your misplaced sense of moral superiority.” My smile grows as I bathe in the feel of a true challenge.
The door to the balcony slams against the wall. Akio, mask in place, storms toward me, apparently summoned by Fallon’s screams. Fury radiates from him as he crosses the roof. Teo trails behind, ready to intervene should it come to blows. Truthfully, I am a little surprised it took him this long since he stays glued to those screens.
“That's enough!” Akio rarely lets his anger out to play but apparently someone else having hands on his girl has brought his demons out to challenge mine.His girl?Why does that thought make me angry on several levels?
They consider me reckless, and they’re not wrong… usually. I extract my body from Fallon’s as I pull her back from the edge. Before letting her go, her body slides down my own until her feet touch the ground. There’s a heat in her eyes as she glares up at me, and I feel the hard buds of her nipples with every heaving breath she takes. An electric charge simmers between us full of lust and hate. I know she feels this too, I can see it in her every move. Before releasing her, my voice cast so low that my brothers can’t hear, I whisper, “You are a special kind of poison and my brothers will see it soon. Maybe then we can come up here and finish our little game. Sleep with one eye open.” Akio holds out a hand to her, ever the savior, but I don't miss the way her gaze lingers on me over her shoulder as she walks toward him. Nor do I miss the quip she throws my way.
“What fucking sleep, jackass?”
I allow my smirk to come through the constant control I have over my emotions. No harm, since I have the mask. I start to follow my brothers toward the door, where Matteo is waiting with a blindfold in hand, but everyone stops when the growl reaches our ears.
