Black streaks from her mascara ran down her tear-stained cheeks. “I have to look it up. Please. I don’t remember. It’s in my computer.” She nodded toward the desk.
With an ironclad grip on her arms, he walked over with her to the desk and shoved her against the chair. “Please don’t hurt me.”
“Shut the fuck up and gimme the damn address.” He watched her every move as she scrolled through her e-mails. She grabbed a pen and piece of paper, wrote down an address, and handed it to Rock. It was a local one in another parish about thirty minutes away. His heart leapt.I gotta get to her before the motherfucker takes her away. I’m sure he’s hurt her. I’m going to kill the bastard.With Clotille’s safety paramount, he was thinking with his heart when he ran out of the house, leaving a traumatized Mrs. Boucher collapsed in her chair. He jumped on his Harley and sped to rescue his woman.
***
Frederick hung upthe phone and smiled cruelly at Clotille. “That was your mother. We’re going to have a visitor soon.” He turned from her and dialed. “I need some reinforcements at the house. I’m expecting a jilted lover.” He licked his lips as he stared at her. “You can’t spare more than four? Well that’ll have to work. I need them ASAP. Send over whoever is in the area.”
Clotille’s heart was in her throat.Rock’s going to step into an ambush and I can’t do a goddamned thing about this.She pulled at the cuffs around her wrists and ankles. He’d restrained her spread eagle on his favorite equipment—the St. Andrew’s Cross. At first he’d attached her facing the cross when he exacted her punishment for being so disobedient. He’d started with his hands and then progressed to the flogger, the cat o’ nine tails, and the cane. When he’d brought out the dreaded cane, she pleaded with him to stop, but he kept hitting her buttocks and thighs. She used her safe word, but he’d told her she had broken their contract by leaving him and they didn’t have a new one in place yet, so there were no limits. The only thing that got her through the beating was thinking of Rock and their time together. Even though Frederick had made her count each blow aloud, her mind was on Rock.
“Getting tired, my pet? See what happens to naughty sluts who disobey?” He sat in a straight-backed chair, his leg folded over his pressed pants, and watched her. After he finished caning her, he turned her around so her back was against the cross and she faced him. Humiliation burned through her, and his eyes sparkled as he watched her shame.
“Please don’t hurt Rock. I’ll never leave you again. I’ll do whatever you ask, but please don’t hurt him.”
“You’ve forgotten how to speak to me, pet. I’ll have to retrain you when we get back to Aspen. But now, I must get you ready for your visitor.” He laughed and unlatched the restraints. She fell onto the mat in front of the cross. Her arms ached from being held up so long, and her body hurt all over. After several minutes, he had her drink from a bowl of water, chuckling as she dipped her face in the bowl and lapped up the liquid.
“Ready?” He fastened her collar around her neck and attached her leash. As he walked up the stairs, she struggled to follow him on her hands and knees. When she slowed down, he’d jerk her hard, dragging her behind him.
Clotille assumed her slave position: naked on her knees, sitting upright on her heels, hands clasped behind her back, knees spread wide apart.
Frederick patted her head. “Good, pet.”
Each minute that went by, each sound she heard, drove her further into a fit of frenzy. Frederick went to the door after reading a text, returning with four mean-looking bearded men. Their arms and necks were covered in tattoos, and one had skulls and demons tattooed on his shaved head. They were dressed in leather and denim and their black vests sported patches of numbers, guns, and wings. She trembled.They must be the reinforcements. Rock, mon cher, stay away. Forget about me. I can’t see you die. I love you so much.
Frederick spoke in a low voice to the four men and they grunted and growled their replies. He looked at his watch again, then dropped to his knees next to her. “Soon it’ll be show time,” he cooed in her ear, “and I’m going to show you what happens to men who try and steal my pet.” He pulled her head back and kissed her hard, then stood up and smoothed down his pants.
She swallowed down the bile rising in her throat as she fought against fainting.Don’t you dare pass out. Don’t fucking do it! Breathe deeply. In and out. In and out. I’m with Rock and he’s kissing me all over. His lips are so soft against my body. Don’t fucking faint.She steadied her nerves as she waited for Rock to walk into the web Frederick had spun.
Chapter Twenty-Five
On the wayto Frederick’s house, Rock called Bones and told him where he was headed. His friend had told him to wait until they came to join him, but he couldn’t wait another minute. He had no idea what the sonofabitch was doing to his woman, but he’d guessed it was something awful.She could be dead by the time my brothers get here.He was almost there, driven by love, not logic, to get his woman out of the rich fucker’s control.
He knew he’d fucked up when he left her mother unbound. All it would’ve taken was five minutes to tie the bitch up, but his head was on backwards with Clotille—always had been—and he made a stupid mistake. But it didn’t matter because he was hell-bent on killing Frederick and taking his woman with him.
Figuring the bitch called the rich asshole, Rock decided he’d enter around the side of the house through a window. Again he cursed himself for leaving a loose thread, but he had to proceed regardless.
He parked his bike a few blocks away so as not to tip off Frederick that he’d arrived. He took alleys and cut through yards to get to the white plantation-style house. The lush foliage aided Rock in slinking to the back part of the house. He tried several windows but they were all secured. As he rounded the corner, he spotted a sliding glass door and pulled it. It opened and he went through.That was too fuckin’ easy.His senses were on high alert as he took out his Glock and walked into the hallway. From the front of the house, a low murmur of deep voices floated down the hall.
His muscles tightened as he approached, dropping to his belly and slithering across the floor until he came upon a small room. He slid in and stood up, pressing himself against the wall. From what he could hear, it sounded like there may be three or four men in the larger room. He spotted a door and went to open it, hoping it wasn’t a closet. The door opened into a large space that had a big fireplace and a lot of furniture. Next to the fireplace he saw her, naked and kneeling, a collar around her thin neck. He gritted his teeth when he saw the red slashes and angry welts across her soft body.Steady, man. You’ve already made too many stupid mistakes.Her eyes were downcast, but her swollen lids told him she’d been crying.Don’t worry,chérie, you’ll be in my arms soon.
Two burly men stood with their arms crossed, one by the door and the other across from Clotille. From their clothes, Rock knew they were bikers. He was positive they were from the Gypsy Fiends. He didn’t feel any comfort in knowing that the Insurgents and the Fiends had just entered into a deal. He wouldn’t put it past Copperhead to order the hit on him in order to remain on the good side of their rich pimp.
Frederick walked in looking cool and collected in his navy blue pants and pin-striped shirt. Rock wanted to rush out and beat the shit out of him, but he held steady watching the fucker run his fingers through Clotille’s hair and glance at his watch several times.He fuckin’ knows I’m coming. Asshole.The two bikers stood rigid, but their faces were slack from boredom. The one by the door yawned.
“Maybe I misjudged your biker, pet. He should’ve been here by now. Maybe he only saw you for what you are—a piece of slutty ass.” He pulled her hair and she yelped, her cry lancing Rock’s heart. Frederick took her nipple between his fingers and tweaked it hard, stretching it out while he began to unzip his pants.
Against his better judgment, Rock charged into the room, startling everyone. “Get the fuck away from her!” He rushed to Frederick and landed a solid punch in his stomach, causing him to bowl over. The two bikers recovered from their surprise and came after Rock, whose fist slammed into the jaw of one of them. He kicked backward, and from the low groan he knew he’d nailed the asshole in the balls.
The other biker came at Rock fast with a looping swing to his head, but he ducked it easily. He slammed the steel toe of his boot into the bearded man’s knee and heard it pop as the man howled and went down. The biker behind him grasped Rock’s shoulder and crashed his head into the back of his. Rock, dazed, stumbled forward and then whirled around, shooting his attacker in the leg. The biker crumpled to the floor.
Rock’s gaze locked with Clotille’s and the tears streaming down her face broke his heart. When he moved toward her, she screamed. “Rock! Behind you!” Before he could turn around, something hard hit him on the head. Warm, sticky liquid trailed down his face and he wiped it, his fingers coated in blood.
“You fucker!” A biker he hadn’t seen before punched him in the face while another held him from behind.
Rock’s head pounded like crazy and black spots danced in front of his eyes.Where the fuck did these sonsofbitches come from? Where the hell is Bones?Rock wasn’t stupid; the odds were against him, especially since he was injured. He cursed himself for letting his heart rule his head.
Another biker entered the room. “You fuckin’ shot my brother!” He came over and kicked Rock in the stomach. He groaned and they laughed. “You okay for a bit, Gater?” The man on the floor nodded. “We’re gonna make this fucker pay for what he did to you.”
