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“I saw it on the news today,” he says as he continues to twine the rope around my wrists. A clipped grunt slips past his lips as he yanks the knot tight. “Piper was a victim, and I heard there are more.”
“There are. Four,” I say, my voice raw.
He keeps his arms banded around me, his muscles strained as he holds me against him even though I’m not trying to escape. “I’ve been doing some thinking today about why you first came to the club; whether it was really for you, or your job. I admit, I had a moment of doubt about us. But then I realized there’s no way this can be connected.” He smiles down at me. “You’ve been showing up at the club for over three months—way before the first body was ever found.”
He had doubts about us. About me. That revelation slays me.
“Only now,” he says, bringing his face closer still, his low words whispering his minty breath across my lips. “I assume something you discovered brought you to my door. And how convenient for you.”
I absolutely do not want to give in to him, but I need to keep him talking. “Why is that convenient for me?”
Holding the rope between my wrists firmly with one hand, he uses the other to relinquish me of my belt holster and gun. It falls to the floor, and he kicks it aside.
“Because,” he says, hot breath drawing me in, “you need a way out. A scapegoat. And if I’m a bad man, that’s the perfect excuse. Last night terrified you, and tonight would’ve been your undoing. You fear the loss of control, Sadie. But you can’t look at it like that.” His face is so close to mine, his body heat pressing so hard against me. “It’s not loss; it’s a power exchange. And I’m not stripping you of yours, I’m empowering you with mine.”
Confusion twists hot and vicious within me, taunting me. I shake my head. “That’s not why I’m here, Colton. The evidence leads to—”
“What evidence?” He slips his free hand between my thighs, drawing a gasp from my mouth. His skilled fingers caress me purposely, tenderly. And I want to close my eyes, just let go… But he keeps me grounded with his voice. “Rope? You found some rope? Vienna is well-known for rope-making, Sadie. Do you think I’m the only ropework enthusiast who knows this? Their industry specialized in it for hundreds of years. Hell, even I did my research. I only use the best.”
Trying to avert my gaze away from him, I stare at a painting hung along the wall. The reds splashed across the canvas. The shades sending a thrill coursing through my body and mingling with his touch. He’s feeding me what I want to hear; that’s what the terrified side of me screams. But the other half—the rational part—wants to accept the logic. It wasn’t really a lead; Quinn said so.
And I’ve done the research, too. Viennese rope was used ages ago by Bathory herself because, as Colton stated, it was the city’s commodity, and one of the Countess’s mansions was located in Vienna. It’s as simple as that—a convenience.
I’m looking in the wrong place. And now I’m trapped.
Colton watches this internal struggle play across my face. His eyes brighten. “There you are, goddess. Come back to me.”
Again, I shake my head, over and over. And I feel a hot tear slip from my eye.
He rests his forehead against mine, stopping my movement, and releases a heavy exhale. “I am flattered, though. The fact that you presumed I was meticulous enough to be your killer—that’s a surreal kind of compliment coming from Agent Bonds. But still”—he pulls away and looks into my eyes—“you came alone. I don’t know if that excites me or angers me. What if I had been him, Sadie? I mean, what the hell? Do you have a death wish?”
I gulp down my fear. “I don’t.” I haven’t fought all these years just to be taken down by one vain psychopath.
He eyes me questioningly. “If I was your Dom, I’d punish you for that. Putting yourself in danger. But I’m not, and it’s not my place to issue penance.” He sighs. “Unfortunately.”
A dark shiver wracks my body, but it’s not at all unwanted. Rather, the thought of Colton inflicting pain—delivering punishment—consumes all my senses. Heat blooms in my core, sinking me further into the unknown of my psyche.
He notes the change; the loosening of my muscles, the heaviness of my eyelids. My body giving itself over to him, fully. A low growl erupts from his mouth as his eyes ignite with need.
Then his hand is in my hair and gripping, pulling my head back to where I can only see him. His other arm anchors around my waist as he lifts me off my feet and sinks his teeth into my neck. I gasp air into my lungs at the same time I try to release a scream, the sound coming out strained. He backs me against the wall, my bound hands making rough contact.
“Colton…” I get out past his merciless assault on my body. “I can’t…I’m still on the clock.”
He breaks away and catches my gaze, his chest heaving, fisted hand still entangled in my hair. “Then this is the last place you should’ve come, goddess.”
That’s all the words between us. In a heated frenzy, I’m away from the wall and in Colton’s arms. My being rages, demanding to be set free, but it’s a losing battle. He’s won.
I’m placed on my feet for just a moment, long enough for him to drop to his knees and undo my jeans. He yanks them down with unguarded intensity, the wetness from the rain making them tug roughly against my skin. His hands slide up the length of my leg, coasting surely and greedily to reach my inner thigh.
I stare down at him as his fingers tenderly test and explore, the rough pads sampling me through the thin barrier of fabric. My head tips back, and I’m torn—fear trickling through me like a stream flowing over a jagged-edged waterfall, warring with the desire craving his touch.
I sense him rise before me, then he’s a breath away. The rope around my wrists loosens and my arms fall free. My muscles twitch, aching from my fight against the restraint.
“Look at me,” he says, his voice a guttural plea. And I do. I open my eyes and take in the exquisite man that will be my ultimate undoing. “You have the power to stop this at any time. It’s all yours.”
Then, with delicate grace, he brings my hands between us and slowly winds the rope around my wrists. My body trembles, the word stop dancing on my tongue…but it’s just a thought. I don’t voice it as he continues to hold my gaze, unwavering, and raises my bound wrists to link them around his neck.
“Say it.” His eyes close, the moment stretching out as he waits for my assent.
