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When I got out of the car, he indicated that I follow him. I grabbed my duffel and trailed after him through a door I hadn’t seen before. It didn’t lead into the house, but into the backyard.My previous visit hadn’t warranted a tour of their mansion, so my eyes widened when I saw the huge pool and Jacuzzi that could probably fit fifteen people. Jaxon lead me to a building, detached from the house, on the other side of the pool.
Pushing open the door, Jaxon entered and flicked on a light. Inside, was a small kitchenette and living room with a big screen tv on one wall. A door off the living room revealed a large bedroom with a king sized bed and a huge bathroom fit for a luxury spa, fully stocked with products. I whistled low as I slowly walked around. Jaxon propped himself against the kitchen counter and watched me.
“Look, we don’t know how long this will take. We don’t have a guest room inside the house. It’s Brooklyn’s room now. If you want to stay, the pool house is yours for as long as you need it.”Jaxon gestured casually around the small house.
I was vaguely uncomfortable with the offer, but I could admit that it would be a good idea to stay close, in case the coming raid didn’t go as planned and we didn’t find Brooklyn. I was committed to helping them get her back, and from there, I wasn’t sure how our relationship had changed.
Nodding, I went into the bedroom and dropped my duffel at the foot of the bed. Back in the main room, I went to the small bar cart and opened a decanter. Holding it up to my nose, I recognized the same expensive booze I had come to expect with the Knights. They had built themselves up from nothing, to become the Club Kings of the city and beyond. I could admire that, even if there was a bit of jealousy there.
“Let’s get inside and finalize plans,”Jaxon said, walking toward the doors that led back to the pool area.
Inside the house, the first floor was silent and still. All of the guys have gone their own direction. Jaxon nodded toward the stairs, and I followed. He opened a door, but frowned when hedidn’t find whoever he was looking for. Understanding lit in his eyes and he turned toward a door we had already passed.
This time, when Jaxon entered the room I followed. I was immediately hit with the strong smell of lavender. The bed was huge, larger than anything I had ever seen. Across the room, Oliver stood in front of the window, staring out over the backyard. He didn’t move when we entered, and Jaxon went to lay a hand on his shoulder.
“What do you think he’s done to her? What he’s still doing?”Oliver asked.
Assuming it wasn’t me he was talking to, I didn’t answer, just continued to look around the room that I was certain was Brooklyn’s. According to Jaxon, she hadn’t been living here when she was taken. A fight between them all had sent her packing, and they all regretted it. Whatever the reason, she was still gone. But the room held the memory of her, in her scent, her robe draped over a chair, her clothes still in the closet.
“Cain?”Oliver’s voice pulled me from my mind and I looked back over toward the window.
“Yeah?”
“I’m not saying this is something you would do, but with your experience, what do you think he’s done to her?”His voice was so broken, it almost hurt me to make eye contact.
“Man, there’s no guessing really, ya know?”I hedged my answer, because I knew the things I was thinking were worse than what they could handle imaging.
“Cain!”Oliver’s voice rose and banged around the walls of the room.
“From the reports, it’s clear he liked to physically abuse her. And from what Jaxon told me, that abuse was sexual in nature a lot of the time. If we get her back alive, which I believe we will, you should be prepared, yeah?”
I could tell my words hit their mark and cut deeply as Oliver flinched and looked away. Jaxon’s eyes were just angry, but he wasn’t shocked by my words. He had already assumed everything I had said. We all knew what we were going to find when we got their woman back.
Chapter
Thirty-Four
Brooklyn
Somehow,the day had passed without another visit from Lyle. I hadn’t expected him to get his fill of me so quickly. Every creak of wood, scrape against concrete or what sounded like footsteps, had me jumping and waiting for him to appear in the room I was held in. My fear was deep and all-consuming, wiping away any thoughts of being rescued or if I would have a life afterthis. I knew this was the end of me and my subconscious was accepting that.
Dusk began to settle in the room and my entire body felt frozen and on fire at the same time. I was sore in the places Lyle had abusedand injured me. But each of my cells was freezing from being naked on the concrete for so long. Even when the sun was up, there wasn’t enough light coming into the room to even slightly heat anything. Part of me was angry with the cold, because it continued to remind me I wasn’t dead yet. I had to believe that whatever was after death didn’t hurt this badly.
My brain was foggy and my thoughts were confused. I was beyond wishing for food or water, knowing Lyle wouldn’t give them to me until he absolutely had to. Starving to death would be a long and painful process, so I held out hope that Lyle would end things before it got to that point. There was a disconnect in my mind, causing me to lose time and feel like I was floating above my body at times.
I heard the murmur of voices and this time I was positive I hadn’t imagined the sound. Sliding back as far as the ankle restraints would allow, I tried to pull my thighs together. The tightness of the ropes hadn’t given at all, no matter how much I pulled. I had no chance if Lyle came back in. I was on display and wide open for him to take whatever he wanted. I wanted to roll over and vomit again, but my stomach was twisted too tightly from the dry heaving I had done the night before. There was nothing left to come up.
In the darkness, I heard someone unlocking the door and suddenly a rectangle of light splashed across the concrete. A figure stepped into the doorway, creating a silhouette that I immediately knew wasn’t Lyle. The bulk of the body was too large to be my psycho scrawny ex boyfriend. When the door shut with a thud, the tiny glimmer of hope I had was dashed. Thefigure slowly walked across the room until he was standing at my feet.
“Lyle thought he was going to make me wait,”Buzz’s voice cut into my brain.
The words were confusing to me for a moment, but the discussion between the men the night before came back to me. Lyle had promised Buzz a turn with me, though what the man didn’t know was Lyle wouldn’t share me, no matter what happened. I assumed Lyle wasn’t in the building, or Buzz wouldn’t take such a chance to try to get what he thought he was owed.
“He’ll be angry,”I croaked, my voice a shell of what it normally was.
“Fuck him. You aren’t going to tell him what I do to you, or I’ll make it worse.”Buzz kneeled at my feet and I could feel his fingers running around one of my ankles, tracing the rope there.
“He’ll know.”I badly wanted to rub my throat, try to bring my voice back somehow.
