THWAP! My head bounced against something hard, jarring me from the void of sickly nothingness. On my back, all I could see were the low lights overhead. Bile coated the back of my throat as I tried to breathe through the nausea. The sloshing and slipping of my brain from one side to the other. "She's awake," someone called in a high voice. Unable to push it down, I made it to my side before my stomach gave a giant heave. Only to be caught by whatever they had over my mouth. Vomit rushed up into my nose, was forced down into my throat. My airways. Terror and fear swamped my mind as all my options for breathing were removed. I was going to die here. Suffocating on my own vomit. "The fuck! Get the tape off her mouth. She's going to die and then where will we be?" a man yelled as someone darted forward in the cramped space. As soon as the ripping pull of my delicate flesh was completed, I was coughing and spitting. Fire burned my nostrils as air forced its way through
"I swear to the gods, Turo, you shoot me again, I'll rip your throat out," I snarled as his stupid timer went off again. "I'm working as fast as I can. Making me bleed out on your girlfriend's couch isn't really going to help me work any faster.""Hey, that's not my couch. At least, I didn't buy it," Nik said. "Gramps, you make him bleed as much as you want." She blew the sadist a kiss before she buried her nose in her computer again.Turo smiled. "See? She doesn't care if you bleed out." He raised his hand again. I braced for the impact. How many bullets could one stupid Glock 23 carry? For fuck's sake. Every single one of them had been a grazing strike. But damn it, they still hurt like the fires of hell. My phone rang before he could pull the trigger. I had it connected and up to my ear before he could say anything. Or pout. The sick fucker pouted when he didn't get to shoot me on time. "Ambright," I said quickly, my voice a little higher than normal as effervescent
I woke to a face full of water. Coughing and spitting so I could actually breathe proved a more difficult chore than I had thought possible. Might have something to do with the black cloth they had over my eyes. Assholes. I needed to figure out what these douchewaffles wanted so I could go home. Hopefully still alive. If this was a bid for ransom, then they'd caught themselves a live one. How they'd known I would be vulnerable was another thing I needed answered. If we had another mole in our organization, I was going to start breaking faces. As soon as I was free. The cover over my head was ripped free. Along with a chunk of hair. Just as the bright lights stabbed my retinas, a huge fist collided with my right cheek. Biting back the cry of pain, I fought to remain conscious. Blacking out so often wasn't really good for long term brain health. Or mental health. Granted, torture wasn't really high up on my list of activities to increase memorization either. Sliding
Get your shit together, man. You've worked way too hard to get this high to blow this over a single skirt. I nodded to myself. I had to stick around for a little bit. It would raise too many brows if I left immediately. The sick fuckers who called themselves my brothers would never find anything in my behavior that would make them look at me harder. Scrubbing a hand down my face, I watched her sleep. Under the swelling and fractured bones, I could see that she was pretty. The photo of her I'd studied for the abduction helped shape those curves and lines in my mind as well. When she wasn't sassing people bigger than her, I could practically see the ready tension in her body. The desire to jump in with both feet. That could get her killed. Very easily. It also made for some fucking fire in bed. Most women here were too timid, too broken by the life of being sex workers for the family. My hand worked better, especially when the blank eyes and fake moans made me feel like a mon
Glaring at my watch, I noted the time. They had an eight hour jump on me. They could be anywhere in the massive country that was Russia. Literally anywhere. Luckily, something had come up with Momma and Papa, and the Amatucci children had been unable to fly with me. Which was good. Better than I'd planned on, actually. I couldn't do what I needed to do if they were around. There were some things a person just couldn't hide when someone was in his pocket. The international phone Nik had slapped in my hand at the airport rang. A smirk rose as I read the name scroll across the screen. Mistress Nikanya-Answer Immediately. "Yes, Mistress?" I asked. A chuckle and a lower pitched hiss came over the line together. "Might want to watch what you call me, Ambright. Turo's kinda possessive like that.""Then you shouldn't have listed your name that way in my phone. What's up?"I heard Turo growl in the background. "Seriously, Cricket? You could have just put your name on it. You
The grating screech of the door brought me awake with a harsh jolt. Immediately, my body was locked and loaded for bear. I would do my best to escape today. Just a few pesky details needed to be ironed out. My full bladder merely one of those details.Pulling the blanket up around me, I sat up. Looked towards the door. Or at least, I thought I was looking in the right direction. Both of my eyes were crusted shut. Okay, Pesky Detail Number Two...get my eyes to open. Check. "I have come with your food. You will not get anymore until tonight." With that, I heard Arkady set something down on the floor and push it. Assuming he wasn't a complete asshole went against my common sense, but I needed at least one ally in this hellhole. "I can't see. Can you bring it to me?" I asked. Made sure to keep my voice firm. The light shifted slightly behind my eyelids. I hunched back against the wall. This whole being even momentarily blind thing was awful. I had a new respect for people
I hid the smirk that wanted to rise to my lips as I saw Sergei and Dmitri on the floor, their throats slit. Seems the Italian Princess had more to her than just fancy clothes and an important bloodline. Why these idiots continued to see women as nothing more than brood mares and fuck toys, I'd never understand. Some of the most vicious people I'd ever met in my life had been women. And they felt no pain or sorrow for their ways. And why should they? They were surviving. In this world, that was the name of the game. "Naydi suku. V nastoyashcheye vremya," I barked. Find the bitch. Now. I didn't really want her found, but since it was either her or me, I would sacrifice her. Survival. What a bitch. The handful of men who accompanied me fanned out. Each of them took a branch of the underground facility. Not quite a bomb shelter, it had originally been designed as a secret metro system under Moscow for when the USSR was still functioning. Unless the princess was a ghost, she wou
Stay upright. Stay upright. Stay upright. I chanted the words, tried to brand them on my brain. I couldn't lose consciousness now. It would ruin all the hard work. The tough façade. Whatever respect I'd just earned. I fought to stay not only upright, but to keep walking in a straight line. Who knew blood loss coupled with dehydration could be so awful? I snorted mentally. Right. Maybe I should ask some of the guys I'd helped interrogate how the body responded to such things.A few months ago, when I learned everything about my best friend/sister and the monster she'd been married to, I'd had to ferret out moles in my own line of the organization. Foster had been so helpful in that area. Foster. The Asshole. He was so fucking pretty and so fucking annoying. Bossy. Bitchy. Other than his dick, I didn't really like him. But what he did with his dick...damn. That man rocked my world in ways I didn't even know it moved. Someone grabbed my arm before I faceplanted the wall.
I crept along the rooftop. The target was staying in the long term suites across the road. It was our first night, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders the farther we got from New Trenadie. The next moment, I crashed to the roof's floor. "Damn it." She snickered. "Still a sucky spy, Raphael." She slid her body over mine.I sucked in a breath. Nodded. Hell, I practically begged her for it. But without words. When she got that tone, my words were not necessary. She smiled. "I'm not going to beat you to death. Nor am I going to stuff you into a padded room." She bent down, flicked her tongue over my lips. "But I will tie you up, spank you, flog you, fuck you, and then make you do it all over again. My dick went to iron between her legs. Her laugh was husky. "I'm keeping you, Raphael. Do you understand me?"My heart settled. Skipped a beat. "Yes, Mistress."The end.
My phone dinged with a new incoming text message. Considering my phone had been going off since the wee hours of the morning with Willow and Ryker announcing the baby was finally coming, I was tempted to just shut it off. But it could be something important. And since Angelo and I were at home with the other babies, it fell to us to make sure we kept everything running as it should. I grabbed the phone. Unlocked the screen. A video message popped up. Raphael and his girl, Nia. Their heads mushed together to get into frame. "Momma, I have to leave. But I wanted to tell you I love you. And thank you for everything. I will let you know when I get back." Nia smiled. "I'll keep him safe, Momma. I swear it.""Bye, Momma," they said together before they ended the call.I smiled even as tears filled my eyes. Angelo looked up at me from his spot on the bed. He was restrained, a ball gag in his mouth. I held the crop up high. "Our last baby is finally happy, Angelo." I s
Two weeks later I glared at the woman on the table. "I still don't know why I have to be here. I barely know you."Willow snorted. "Because you're scarier than anyone else in my family. And I don't want those doctors trying to get all bitchyyyyyyyy." Another contraction hit her. She clamped down on my hand hard enough that I thought I was going to need surgery to remove the bones from each other. And this little firecracker had more strength inside her than her grip would show. Raphael had told me some of her story. She'd told me the rest of it. A ritual the Amatucci women apparently indulged in was something called Girls' Night. Really it was a bunch of drinking, talking about sex, and watching movies while we ate enough of Willow's confectionaries to give ourselves diabetes. Willow blew out a breath. "Ryker can't handle seeing me in this kind of pain, so he has to stay out in the lobby with the rest of them. You're second chair." She panted. Demanded some ice chips.
Three days laterWalking into my parents house when they didn't know I was alive was a risky thing. A multitude of crappy things could happen. Not the least of which was Momma killing me for real this time. Or Papa crying. Or either of them fainting."Go on," Nia said as she shoved me forward gently. "You're already here. Just go into the kitchen. Nik said she told them to wait for her in the kitchen."I nodded, felt my palms go clammy as my breath backed up in my lungs. This could go terribly wrong. So fucking horribly wrong. Man up, Si, that no longer too small voice said inside me. Since I'd been actively listening to it more, he wasn't so easy to shut up. Even when I wanted to. Thankfully, the nasty bitch who lived inside me was getting fainter. Although he could still throw a temper tantrum to beat a two year old. "I'm right here. And I'll be right here the whole time. They've waited long enough, Raphael." She nudged me again. Even as bile rushed up the back o
We all stood in the kitchen, guzzling water by the gallon. I hadn't been this dehydrated since the last time I got in trouble at Petter Manor. But at least this time it was due to happy tears and reunification. Raphael sat and watched it all. Just absorbed it. But he never got so far away I couldn't touch him. That I even needed to touch him still blew my mind. But I wasn't going to question it. He helped steady me when it felt like everything inside me and around me was bending and flexing too fast for me to catch up. "What are your plans for tomorrow?" Liam asked as he finished his third glass of water. "Tomorrow is the gala. I'm going to string Anders up-the guy who had you kidnapped again. I'm going to tell everyone the Petters have been blackmailing and abusing and paying off that the Petters are dead and gone. That they're all on watch." I studied Liam and Lilly. It blew my mind that they had gone into the government side of this dirty world. That they willingly put t
Nia came over to me while I was helping drag some bodies away. "Hey Raphael, can you come with me, please?"Foster grunted at me as we got the body up on the catering cart. "Go. I've got this." I nodded, turned back to Nia. "Sure, Nia." She took my hand and we walked from the room. Her hand was trembling in mine. It was only the slightest degree, but it might as well have registered on the seismic scale. "You good?" I asked her softly as we walked down a set of stairs. She said nothing, made no movements except to keep walking. I pulled her to a stop. Made her look at me. "Are you good?" I asked again. Her eyes were wide, as if she were trying to stave off the tears. "Amelie and Anton..." she blew out a breath. "They're t-""The only two people you love in this world." I smiled sadly. "I know, Nia."Her eyelids fluttered shut as a tear escaped down her cheek. Her breath was shaky as she exhaled. "I got them away from here. Put them in with a good woman with a hu
Day before the gala "Charlie team in position," the man's voice came through the little earbud I wore in my right ear. I kept a tight hold on my fear. My relief. My heart. All of the planning, all of the tears, all of the arguments. It all came down to this. "Delta team in position," Raphael said through my ear. "Foxtrot team in position," another voice said. I still wasn't quite sure who was who by their voice, but I'd done an okayish job of remembering names and faces. The fact that I had a team full of women with me made me like the Amatuccis even more. They didn't discriminate. If someone had the skill and the drive to join the security teams, they were given a position. "Estrogen team in position," I said. A series of clicks came through the earbud. I'd made a single joke about Echo team being full of vaginas. They called us the Estro team now. Since we were collectively badass, I didn't really care what they called us as long as it wasn't disrespectful. "A
Her babies? She had kids? I shook my head. Knew there had to be a different story, but I needed to get her back with me to learn it. I set her down on the chair. Pushed her head down between her knees. "Breathe, Nia." I made my voice hard. As hard as I dared when all I wanted to do was cuddle her up and carry her away. Nowhere was my fierce and strong Dominant. Right now, she was a broken, hurting woman. I would hold her together until she could find herself again. Ivan came rushing into the room, his gun drawn. He lifted it to the ceiling when he saw what was going on. One of his brows rose in question.I gave him a brief rundown of what I knew. Which was damn little. I shrugged when I was out of information to share. Mas came hopping in behind Ivan. He didn't have a weapon, but he did have concern etched on his face. "Who the hell are you?" a voice said from behind me. I whirled around, putting Nia behind my body as I faced the threat that shouldn't be there. A
After rushing through the shower and the delicious meal that Raphael put together for breakfast, I walked into the space Ivan and Klara had set up for me. Everything was as I left it, but that didn't mean a whole lot. Especially in a place I didn't control one hundred percent. Brushing the weird vibe away, I walked to the computer. Booted everything up. Once it was up and running, I went through my process of accessing my cloud accounts. Jasper had set some up for me that weren't the typical commercial kind. Luckily, I'd memorized the process, or I'd be up a creek with zero paddle at the moment. A ReadMe file was highlighted when I got all the way into my account. I right clicked, read through the metadata how Jasper showed me. Recognizing his signature, I opened the file. Ms. Flower~I've attached all of the information I could find re Cucumber Butt and Pretty Mean. You'll find them in the associated files.I snickered at Jasper's sense of humor. That kid was a genius and