Page 109 of Volatile Waters

I slammed my mouth to his. He was perfect for me, and this was a perfect strategy. If anyone recognized him in another country and saw him with me, none would be the wiser. No one would realize Bram was now living with his abductor.

His lips smiled against mine. “You like my plan so far?”

I kissed him again. “Yes. Tell me more.”

“Where are the video cameras? No film can ever show that I was a part of the takedown. I must always appear to be a broken slave.”

“There are cameras in each slave room, the filming rooms, at each entrance to the house, the driveway.”

Wolf nodded, silencing me. “Just to be sure, no affection between us outside this room.”

After their showers, I escorted Wolf and Jewel back to their rooms, delivering Jewel first. She was naked and terrified but did as I asked. In her room, Wolf begged me, “There has to be a way to be sure no one will touch her again. Please, do this for me.”

I huffed again. “Fine. Don’t move.” I left them in the room and walked across the hall. In the monitor room, I opened a drawer and grabbed a gold collar and leash.

A video tech sat in a chair, smirking. “Getting ready for another delivery?”

“Something like that.”

Back in Jewel’s room, I placed the gold collar and chain on her. “Remember what I said. Listen to no one but me.”

She studied Wolf’s platinum collar and chain before nodding and climbing into her bed, huddling in the corner with her skinny legs to her chest. I sighed when I realized she was one of the last scared slaves I would have to see. Wolf was right to have been kind to her. I told myself I should also be more patient, but I also didn’t know that my new-to-me uncle had gone back on his word and had already proceeded with the takedown.

Wolf and I were leaving her room when I heard, “Hello, Yury.” In the hallway, I jolted, wondering why Father was home and not at the new establishment. I immediately locked Jewel in her room, knowing something was amiss.

Wolf had his eyes down as Father toyed with his leash. “His owner had inquired about this delivery.”

I had to bite back a growl and try to act unaffected. “As you can see, he has become very obedient. I believe he will be ready in a couple more weeks.”

“We need his sale complete. There have been… challenges at our new location.”

Pingswere going off in my stomach like the American Fourth of July celebration with fireworks.“What sort of challenges?”

“The kind where money has been lost. But that is okay; we will rebuild here.”

Just then, an unconscious, naked black man was being carried down the hallway by two handlers. Confused, because I had no scheduled deliveries yet was receiving my second slave for the day, I asked, “What is this?”

“A new slave for you to fuck. Where would you like him?”

Frustrated, I pointed to the room next to Jewel’s. “Where is Uncle?”

“Tying up loose ends.” He wiped his hands against each other as if touching Wolf had made him dirty. This was surprising because he had valued Wolf. There was something else happening, and I was in the dark, but I didn’t miss him switching to English. “Speaking of loose ends, how is my curse? I hear she is far less obedient than Wolf here.”

I couldn’t figure out what his underlining meaning was. “You hear? You have spies now?”

He shrugged. “I prefer to call them monitors.”

Feeling like everything was falling apart, I glanced up and down the hallway to figure out which of my men were rats. “She is fine. Why do you ask?”

“I hear you wish for more with her, beyond her claimed slave duties.” His eyes raced to Wolf’s as if to catch a reaction.

My stomach plummeted. He suspected Wolf and I meant something to each other.

When Wolf continued to stare at the floor, unaffected, Father coyly said to me, “I’ve been told the sex you had with her a couple of weeks ago could be heard all throughout the house. That she was screaming in pleasure.”

And there it was, the twitch in Wolf’s eye that Father was looking for.

It was a lie. Whitney had been screaming in misery, but Wolf had no idea of the truth.