Captive to the Dark (25 page)

The metallic taste that washed through my mouth nearly made me gag. I couldn’t be Jordan’s slave. Not after submitting to Slade. I didn’t want another master. I already had one, didn’t I? He said he wanted me to come home. It’d only been a week ago. Then again, I’d left Slade standing there, once again turning my back to him. That couldn’t be overlooked. Not even to him. No. Slade was my past. We were over.

Jordan’s hard cock ground into my pussy and I was glad clothes separated us. “Give into this, Mary. You’ve been here almost a month. Let me show you how good we can be together. I’ll have you trembling, begging me for more. All you have to do is let me show you. The feelings will come if you give it a few more months.” His lips pressed into my neck. “In the meantime, let me show you what you’re missing.”

Time was running out. This hadn’t been the first time Jordan had made advances. Each episode ended in two days of pure backlash from my rejection.

“Jordan, I’m sorry. I can’t until I know you’re not working with my father anymore. Getting involved with someone who deals in illegal activities is not what I pictured for my future. If you can prove to me that you’re free of all ties, then maybe...” My eyes filled with tears because part of me believed my words.

Lips crushed into mine, brutally. The taste of my blood reminded me of Slade. But he wasn’t the cause this time. Jordan moaned, running his tongue over the cut on the inside of my lip.

“You’re so fucking mine. I told you I’ve been out now for years. I wasn’t lying. You’ll learn to trust me. I have nothing to hide.”

“Then why all these meetings with my father?”

Jordan’s hand pushed under my shirt, lightly moving up and down over my ribs. “You hear what we talk about. I’m his lawyer. It’s all business related.”

The last few meetings, I had been bored out of my mind. Not that I’d really paid attention to what they had talked about. It was all political. Nothing to do with trafficking whatsoever.

God, did I do this? Give myself over to Jordan and attempt to have feelings for him? The spark of something had been there before. Did I try to rekindle it and see what happened? I didn’t want to. Not really. There was only one person I wanted, and I couldn’t have him. It just wouldn’t work between us.

“I’m going to have to see that for myself. Until then…I’m sorry. I just can’t.”

Jordan let me down and stepped away. “Tonight, I’ll prove that I speak the truth. Then you can start trusting me.”

My arms protectively hugged my stomach. Whether I was guarding myself from the fear that he might be able to do it, or the fact that it sickened me to think he couldn’t, I wasn’t sure.

“When can I go back to work? I can put in for part-time. Two days a week, if need be. Something. Please. Don’t you see? I trusted you enough to come with you. I chose you over Slade. That has to count for something. If I’m going to trust you, you have to give me the same. You can drop me off and pick me up. I don’t care. Just let me out. Even if just a little.”

Jordan walked back over to the lettuce and began chopping again, but he remained silent. Anxiously, I waited, not saying a word. The last thing I wanted was to take a step back. This was progress. Before, his response was always automatic. Not today, which told me the yes I wanted to hear would be coming soon. If not today, then maybe in the near future.

“Salad to hold us over. Then, we’re going to get dressed. Blue dress. Hair off your neck. Pearls.” Jordan pressed his lips together. “You’re going to look happy and pay attention to what your father has to say. We are then going to come home where you’ll strip down and come to my room.” He looked up. “No, I’m not going to fuck you, but if you want my trust, you’re going to give me yours. We’ll see if you obey.”

He wanted me to believe that he wasn’t going to fuck me. That’s where my trust in him came in? I could do it. Bare my body for him to see. To…what? Uncertainty left me sitting back on the chair. My legs felt a little weak, but I could do this.

“And if I agree, you’ll let me out?”

The large knife sliced though a tomato. “Two days a week, starting out. The first sign of Slade, you’re back in the house.”

Anger surged. I couldn’t control his actions. Why should I have to suffer? Instead of speaking my thoughts, I nodded. “Deal.”

“Perfect.” A smile came to Jordan’s face and I was blindly eating through the salad before I knew it. Time went into hyper speed. I got dressed according to Jordan’s instruction. The sapphire silk gown was sleeveless, but rested high on my chest, covering Slade’s name. Curls rested on top of my head and pearls decorated my neck and wrist. The ring I’d grown to despise was a large marquis diamond on a plain white gold band. It was beautiful, but it didn’t compare to the one Slade had slid on my finger.

I opened the drawer and took it out, running my finger over the emerald cut. The love he had in his eyes replayed over in my head. So clearly, I could still see him looking down at me. If only I wouldn’t have run. But then where would we be? Lily might still be under my father’s control. Slade had every intention of not letting me go back. Victor wouldn’t have settled for that. Lily was what had mattered, not what Slade or I wanted.

The sound of my bedroom door opened and I casually placed the ring back in the drawer as if the power it had over me meant nothing. Jordan wouldn’t know what I was looking at, but I didn’t want him to get suspicious and start snooping either.

“You look stunning, Mary. I knew the blue would look great on you.”

The dark suit and matching tie didn’t look any different than what I’d seen him wear almost every day since I’d been here. It was always a suit. He had a range of different colors, but the man who was dressed in khakis and a polo was long gone. Had he ever even existed? This man just felt so different to me. Like a stranger.

“Thank you, Jordan. So do you.” Automatic. That’s what my responses were lately. I was turning into such a damn robot. I needed space. Work would be perfect. Excitement had a genuine smile coming to my face.

“There’s that smile I fell for. Come on, sweetie. Let’s go get this over with.”

Indeed. I wanted it to be tomorrow already. Then I could contact Melissa and tell her I was ready to come back. Maybe she’d get me in on the late shift.

The ride to Capone’s went by just as fast as the day had. The expensive restaurant was decorated in rich earth tones of dark green, beige, and brown. The hostess led us to the same table she always did when we met my father here. Julian was sitting next to him and they stood at our approach. I kept the smile on my face and Jordan’s hand left mine to reach out to his father and then mine.

“Don’t you two look happy.” Victor seemed excited about that.

“Of course we are. Mary and I always did get along well. We’re a great match.” Jordan pulled out my chair and I took a seat. The waiter arrived immediately and I ordered a soda, not caring how it looked anymore. With Slade, I felt the need to impress. With my father and Jordan, I could care less.

Everyone settled and Victor held out some papers for Jordan to look over. I paid attention just like Jordan wanted me to. It didn’t get the response I had expected. Jordan’s head snapped up and he clenched his jaw. “What is this?”

Victor glanced at Julian who leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “Son, we’re under a lot of heat here since Slade’s little stunt. Charles and Bethany helped out a little by joining, but it’s not enough. Now it’s up to you and Mary to pick up some slack.”

“I don’t fucking think so,” Jordan said quietly.

Nausea took over and I ripped the papers from his hand. A detailed map sat on the first page. The location read San Diego and there was a professional drawing of what looked to be the outside of a warehouse. Below that was the layout of the inside.

“I don’t understand? What are you expecting us to do?” I flipped the page and saw a list of contents. My eyes went to Jordan and I couldn’t stop my mouth from dropping. “Guns and drugs?” An apology was written all over his face. I turned to my father, feeling sick. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. You expect me to go along with this?”

“Of course I do. You don’t have a choice.”

“Yeah, we do.” Jordan stood, wrapping his hand around the top of mine arm. “I told you I was out a long time ago. I wasn’t lying. You’re both going to have to figure this out on your own. It’s your mess, not mine or Mary’s.”

Julian smirked and picked up his glass. “Twenty million. You’ll do it, and you’ll continue to. Both of you will. If not,” he shrugged, “accidents happen.” He took a big drink and slammed his glass down. “You both know too much. You’re either in, or you’re dead. Pick one.”

Pick one…pick a side. Didn’t Jordan tell me that? To find where my loyalties lied? It wasn’t here. That was for sure.

Jordan sat back down and I didn’t miss how pale he appeared. He didn’t want this any more than I did. I’d been wrong. Trapped. That’s what we were. Trapped by the blood of who we were related to and caught up in life or death.

The papers were eased from my hand and he wiped the sweat from his brow as he scanned through them. “When?”

The room spun. This couldn’t be happening. My hand clutched the edge of the table for stability while Julian started talking.

“Next Tuesday. You need to be there to supervise the loading. Then, you and Mary will transport the shipment to the same port Mary was taken out of in Oregon. Mr. George is waiting for his supply and he’ll get it, hell or high water. Is that understood?”

“I can’t afford to keep taking off like this. I have cases that I need to be here for.” Jordan folded the papers, sliding them into the pocket that rested on the inside of his jacket.

Julian lifted one of his eyebrows. “I’ve already given you a solution to that. Quit your job and come work for my company. You’ll have free reign of your time. Done. Put in your two weeks.”

The glass shattered in Jordan’s hand and I was sure I’d never seen anyone so angry. Immediately, I felt sorry for him. Blood poured from his hand while he glared at his father. Silverware scattered over the table as I took the cloth napkin and pried his hand open. He didn’t even seem to notice.

The cut was deep. It’d need stitches. “Jordan, come. We have to get you to the hospital.” Breaking his stare from Julian was almost impossible. My hand gripped to his shoulder tightly and I squeezed. Only then did he look up at me. “Your cut is deep. We need to go get you looked at.”

“I’ll call you later, Father.” Jordan stood and I tried pulling him to the car as fast as I could. The cloth didn’t take long to get saturated and panic started to set in. Droplets slashed against the pavement as we approached the car.

“Keys. I’ll drive.”

Without a fight, Jordan handed them to me. At the kiss he placed on my cheek, my hand rose to the spot in shock. That had been the last thing I’d expected. The car lowered as he eased into the BMW. The door shutting snapped me out of it. I glanced up, preparing to rush to the driver’s side when Slade caught my attention. He stood in the shadows, leaning against the very end of the building. Watching. Just…watching. My body exploded into life. Wetness took over and my eyes turned heavy. Trembling had me stumbling in my advance to the other door.

My stare never left him as I got in and shut the door. Only then did I turn my focus to where it needed to be. Jordan.

“How are you?” I turned over the engine and threw the car in reverse. A glance back to Slade only had me pausing to put the car into drive. He was gone. Had he ever really been there? Was it a figment of my imagination because I wished I could see him?

“I’ll live. Unfortunately. Can you believe this shit? Fucking blackmailing us to do their dirty work. The hate for my father never ceases to increase over the years. Such bullshit.”

The car jumped forward as I rushed out of the parking lot. I could worry about Slade later. “Well, we agree on one thing. How do we get out of it? That’s what we need to figure out.” I glanced over. “We can’t do this, Jordan. We just can’t.”

“Don’t you think I’ve exhausted every option? The best we can hope for is to put in a few months and when things cool off, we see about pulling out. Until then, we’re screwed.”

Traffic was thick, but I managed to weave between cars and make ground. “I refuse to believe that. There has to be a way. I can’t do drugs and guns knowing what effect they have on people. I’m sorry, I can’t be responsible for that.”

Jordan stared out of the window. “Leave it to me. I just need you to be there for appearance’s sake. I’ll do all the dealing.”

The car flew over the steep hills and we hit hard. The hospital loomed ahead and I let his words sink in. He may have thought we were stuck, but I wouldn’t give up until I found a solution.

The parking lot was relatively empty, which surprised me. I threw the car in park and noticed the blood drenching Jordan’s whole waist area. Fuck, he was bleeding badly, and he didn’t even seem fazed.

I rushed to his side, meeting him as he stood and shut the door. Again, I was practically pulling him to the entrance. Why in the hell was he walking so slowly?

The automatic doors opened and the large waiting area housed a few random people. From what looked to be a homeless man, to a woman and child, to an elderly couple sat scattered throughout. We walked to the glass window and I let Jordan take over, explaining the situation and filling out the paper work. I tried to offer help, but his writing hand wasn’t the one injured, so he wanted to do it himself. A nurse came out of the double doors, packing what looked to be gauze over the blood soaked cloth. Her hand pressed Jordan’s fist closed. Shouldn’t they be taking him right back? It made no sense to me, but I didn’t say anything as she walked away.

“Shit.” He held his wallet open, looking through the contents. “Mary, my insurance card must be in my car. Can you go get it for me?”

“Of course.” My hand loosened around the keys and I rushed outside as fast as I could in heels. A car pulled out of the lot and I slowed the jog to a fast walk. If I continued, I’d end up breaking my damn ankle and be in the room next to Jordan.