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“She’s more fucked up than you are,” Noel whispered to Nick whose grin was back, bigger than before.
“I’m in love, man,” Nick replied, causing Satan to roll his eyes.
“Right, Romeo. Cut her clothes off. Leave her bra and panties. We’ll see how talkative she feels after dinner.”
Nick was all business as he began to remove my jacket, shirt, jeans, and shoes with the knife I suspected he had retrieved from my failed escape attempt. Noel followed along, tightening my bindings as the layers of fabric fell away. Both men were surprisingly gentle with their ministrations, and by the time they stepped back, I was feeling far more vulnerable than a lack of clothing and a chilly room could account for. Noel disappeared into the kitchen without a backward glance. After a moment, the crashing of metal against metal signaled dinner preparations had commenced. Nick took a little longer, assessing his work before leaning down and pressing a chaste kiss to my lips. “Thanks for coming. You’ve made my day. Best. Christmas. Ever.”
CHAPTER 3
SOMETIME LATER, THE shrieking of the smoke alarm announced dinner was ready for the residents of the house. My skin felt tight, goosebumps crawling over every exposed inch as the mouth-watering scent of roasted chicken made my stomach growl embarrassingly. No one had returned to the living room. The fact that not one person double-checked Noel’s knots told me I wasn’t escaping more than anything else could have. Chris wandered through a moment later, eyes forward and focused on the kitchen door with an intent that made it clear he was convincing himself I didn’t exist. The smirk that lingered around his mouth was the only indication he enjoyed my current position. Noel met Chris in the doorway, bustling him into the room before turning and shouting “dinner” for the rest of the house. The floral apron tied around his waist was so cute I wanted to comment, but Satan’s appearance was enough to keep me quiet. Like Chris, he passed through the room without comment, and a moment later, Nick did likewise.
Low murmurs and the scrape of cutlery on plates drifted from the other room as I shifted on my seat, trying to ease the cramping of cold muscles. I had no way of telling exactly how long it had been since I first entered the house, but I felt like time was slipping away from me. With the storm still raging outside, the only clue I had as to whether it was day or night was the fact the boys were eating dinner. Evening then, I decided, giving up any hope of relieving my muscles. Noel’s knots were too well tied.
“How’s our lovely guest going?” the man himself asked a moment later, appearing at my elbow with a cup in his hand.
“Just peachy,” I replied, shifting my shoulders again as the joint threatened to cramp.
“Yeah, sorry about that. Not much I can do right now, but I thought you might be thirsty.” Moving slowly to give me time to refuse, he brought the cup to my lips and gently tipped water into my mouth. As I swallowed, I imagined it was tea, coffee, soup, anything that could warm me from the inside and fill the aching void in my gut. It wasn’t the first time I’d gone hungry, but I was still convinced it could very well be my last. I wondered if they planned on throwing me out into the storm when they didn’t get the answers they wanted.
Death by exposure didn’t sound like a pleasant way to go.
Noel sighed, removing the cup as I drained the last of the liquid. “I wish you would tell us what’s going on. They don’t deserve your loyalty, Sunshine.” The old nickname shook me, and it took longer than it should have to realize that Noel had been sent to play good cop. Of course he had. He was the gentle one of the group. The mother hen whose tech skills gave him the edge in cybercrime that my upbringing gave me in burglary. We had been close before. Comparing notes and often integrating our two skillsets, imagining heists we could have pulled off by working together.
“They don’t have my loyalty. You know why I’m doing this. You’re too smart to act this stupid.”
Noel sighed. “Can’t say I didn’t try, Sunshine. I have to admit, though, I am looking forward to what we have in store for you.”
My jaw dropped as Noel winked and left me alone once more.
By the time my fingers had gone numb, I was debating outright lying to either have a shot at regaining circulation or getting myself killed so it would be over with when Satan returned.
“Feel like talking yet?” he asked casually, sitting on the edge of the coffee table so we were eye to eye.
“Yup,” I replied lightly. “How about you untie me and we can discuss everything like adults.”
“Bullshit.” He heaved a sigh that I felt echoed in my own chest. Satan had an uncanny ability to tell truth from lies. There was only one lie I had ever been able to convince him of, and it had almost killed me to do it.
“Nick. Noel,” he called, standing so quickly I found myself eye level with his jeans-covered crotch. My mouth watered for a whole new reason as memories swept through me of making him beg while I was on my knees. We had been good together. So, so good, but I couldn’t let my mind go back there. Not now. Satan would sense it in a heartbeat and use it against me.
Pulling back as far as the ropes allowed, I looked up to find I had been caught.
“Mind removing that rotting dick from my face?” I asked, hoping he didn’t hear the tremor in my voice. His smirk told me more than words could that he knew exactly where my mind had gone. Luckily, before he could mention anything, Nick and Noel were beside me. Both shirtless. Why were they shirtless? Nick wore low-slung faded jeans that displayed a deep V shape and a smattering of dark curls at the waistband. Noel wore a similar outfit, but still had his red hat sitting on his head.
“I hate that hat,” I told him as he loosened the binds on my wrists and ankles. He grinned wickedly as I moaned in appreciation of my newfound range of movement.
“Don’t get too comfortable, Joy. We’re only getting started,” Satan said as Nick once again swept me up and carried me into a bedroom further into the house. This room I knew well. I did not want to be in there. On the slatted headboard, handcuffs hung ominously, making me twitch before Nick dropped me onto the familiar mattress. No way was I allowing myself to be cuffed to Satan’s bed. A girl only had so much willpower.
I was onto these guys. They weren’t going to kill me; they were going to completely destroy me.
Launching off the bed, I made it halfway to the ensuite before each of my arms were captured by a half-naked man and forced into the cuffs.
“Cherry pie,” I screamed at Satan the second he appeared in the doorway. Praying our old safe word would have some kind of effect.
“Glad you remember,” Satan said calmly, crossing to sit at the end of the bed. Somewhere between the living room and his bedroom, he had removed his own shirt.
Cold, hungry, and mostly naked in front of people I used to care about who were also half naked, I worried my willpower wouldn’t hold out.
I’d been stupid to take on this job. Stupid to leave Dad unsupervised when I knew he couldn’t cope at Christmas.
