I forced myself to watch. To remember what would happen to me if I went against these men before it was time. To remind myself that there are worse things than death. As I stood at the door, I found myself praying for the first time in a very long time. To a God I wasn't sure I believed in any longer. Protect her mind, dear Lord. Her body can heal. Protect her mind and her spirit. Keep that fire alive within her. After what felt like years, but I knew was no longer than maybe an hour, the bosses were done with her. They zipped up, rolled out as if they'd just taken a short lunch break instead of destroying a woman's body. Her sense of self. "Uberi yeye. Podumay snova dat' yey privilegii, my zastavim tebya vzyat' yeye," Barrikad said, a slight grin on his face. Clean her up. Think to give her privileges again, we will make you take her.I clenched my fist to keep from bashing him into dust. How they'd found out about the privileges in the first place, I had no idea. But her c
I pushed through the door of the safe house I'd set up almost ten years ago. One of my mentors had told me to make sure I always had bolt holes. Even when I left the Agency. Damned if she hadn't been right. Checking the low tech security system, I finally let out a breath when I saw that it was unchanged from the last time I was here. I threw my shit on the table, sat down on one of the dusty chairs. Twenty-four hours behind her. The knowledge sliced through me again. I knew the longer it took to find her, the less likely I'd find her in one piece. Thankful I'd slept on the plane, I started pulling stuff from my bag. My laptop set up and my phone acting as a hot spot, I was on the line with Nik and Turo as soon as the call connected. "I'm picking up a couple of burners. Once I have the numbers, I'll make sure you get them. Please tell me we have at least cursory information on the group Papa mentioned.""Good afternoon to you, too, Foster," Nik said. "Can the shit, Nik
I stared at the door. Wondered what had spooked Arkady so badly. Did it have to do with the men who'd just been in here? Were they coming back?The breath backed up in my lungs as the bottom of my belly dropped away. My heart started to pound as every single ache and pain in my body shrieked in remembered agony. I shook my head. I couldn't go through that again. Not ever. But certainly not right now. I huddled against the wall, my gaze glued to the door. Air struggled to penetrate my lungs. My lungs pinched and shook inside my chest. They couldn't come back. They couldn't come back. Just as the edges of my vision were starting to go black, I sucked in a huge breath. Slapped myself across the face. "Get your shit together, T." Almost as if I was standing outside myself, I nodded to the invisible me. I could do this. I could get control. I could bend destiny and fate to my will. Taking another deep breath, I pulled it deep into my lungs. Held it for as long as I could. Push
The harsh grating of the door had me launching from my spot. My arms and legs were numb, not to mention I couldn't tell if I still had an ass. It didn't matter. Adrenaline was my friend. As soon as a dark head of hair passed by the edge of the door, I pounced. Beating at the person's head and shoulders, I fought like a woman possessed. My breath started soughing in and out of my lungs as my vision blinked between white and black. "Damnit, Talia," Arkady finally said as we crashed to the floor. He had me stretched out underneath him with barely any effort. His golden eyes were hard. "What the fuck was that?"I spat in his face. He leaned down, wiped it over my tits. Asshole. "Do that again, and I'll-""What? Rape me?" I bit out, shoving my face up into his. His expression shut down as his face went white. He backed up, let me move. "No. I told you, I won't rape you. That doesn't change just because three days have passed."I blinked. My mind went blank. "What?"Si
After shoving one of the burner phones under a familiar park bench, I sat and stared at the dark sky. Waiting was one of the worst parts of this job. But my contact wasn't willing to be seen talking to me. I understood it. I could even appreciate it. But it pissed me off to have to be at the mercy of someone else. That Talia was effectively at the mercy of someone else. In so many more ways than one. I just prayed that she was holding out. Holding on. I'm coming for you, Talia. Just hold on for me, hellcat. Give me time to find you. Part of me scoffed at the idea of being someone's-anyone's-hero. But that Talia Amatucci was the one who literally depended on me, grinded my guts. I'd given up the cloak and dagger of life or death when I left the Agency. While I still worked in counterintelligence for the corporate world, the stakes weren't nearly as high. Nor as deadly. I still took my work seriously, but no one died if I got the information wrong. Or didn't react fast eno
Shoving the door open once I had the lock free of its newly eroded casing, I called out. I really didn't want a repeat of the last time I'd come in here without announcing myself. "It's Arkady."A choked soft sob. "Come in."I gritted my teeth and hardened my heart against the relief I heard in her smoky voice. Getting tangled up in the trouble she represented was not in my game plan. Either short- or long-term. Helping her at all had already gotten her severely punished. I wasn't sure either of us were prepared for her to be punished again. "I've got your food for the day." Turning slightly, I saw that she was huddled on the bed. The blankets were still in a neat pile at the foot of the mattress. She nodded, but didn't get up. "Thank you."I slid the tray onto the bed. Questions and promises pushed at the back of my throat. Demanded they be voiced. Swallowing them all, I simply nodded and turned back to the door. "Knock on the door when you're done. I'll take the tray."
With Arkady out of commission, I darted for the door. No telling how long he was going to be out of commission. Phone. The word streaked across my brain like it was lit up with neon. Leaping up to the bed, I stood on tiptoe to feel around on the small inset ledge where the lights were. I grabbed up the phone, prayed the ten minutes of charging had done enough to hold me. I stuffed the phone into my waistband. Jumping off the bed, I ran over and grabbed up some of the bottles of liquid from my first aid stash. With two bottles of what I assumed was isopropyl alcohol armed and ready, I moved to the hallway. Not bothering to take the time to push the door shut behind me, I ran down the hall. Tried not to splash myself with the alcohol. My only weapon, I kinda needed to make sure I could use it on any enemies who appeared. From my previous escape attempt, I knew there was only one hallway that went anywhere. I arrowed for it immediately. Nothing short of death or capture was go
The line still open to Nik, I stepped out from my hiding spot. "Karine Petrova, what an unpleasant surprise. What are you doing here?"One of the reasons I'd left Moscow was standing right in front of me. Her white blonde hair was secured under the black balaclava, only her bright blue eyes remained visible. She snorted. "I'm not the one far from home, Maks. It would seem that you are. So I put the same question to you: what are you doing here?""Business."One of her pale brows rose. "My sources say that you got out of the business a couple years ago. Are you back in the rank and file?"I held my silence. She didn't need to know anything of why I was actually here. Considering I'd gone out of my way to make sure I wouldn't need to contact her, not talking to this woman was on the top of my priority list. "Cat got your tongue?" she purred as she edged closer. I held my ground and my silence. I should just shoot her in the head and be done with her. But that would raise
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