Captive to the Dark (27 page)

The sound of my cell phone ringing filled the room. I walked over to the nightstand and picked it up.
Blocked
. A frown came to my face. Who the fuck had my number that would be calling unidentified? I hit the button, bringing it to my ear. “Speak.”

“I want them back.”

Hesitation went through me and then a smile came to my face. I reached down to my suit jacket and pulled out the papers I’d taken from the floorboard where Jordan had been sitting. I wasn’t stupid, I knew who was on the phone. Just to cover Mary’s ass, I decided I’d better play like I was.

“Who is this?”

“You know who this is. I want them back, Slade. I know you’re the one who took my papers. You saw Mary too, didn’t you?”

I bit my lip, feeling her pussy around me all over again. “Jordan? I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you got the wrong person. I’ve been too busy taking care of my sister to be out doing anything.” My eyes narrowed from anger. “Do you know how fucked up she is? I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since she’s been here. She wakes up screaming from her rapists. But you wouldn’t give a shit about that, would you?”

Silence lasted for a few seconds. “I had nothing to do with that. I give you my word. Now stop these games and just give me the papers back.”

Crinkling filled the room as I opened them up. As the content became clear, I felt my eyes go wide. Oh…fuck no. My conscious became a massive battle over right or wrong. If I said anything, Mary was screwed. Jordan might seriously hurt her. But if I didn’t call him out on this, I was just as guilty to let it go through.

“Why don’t you tell me about these papers? Maybe I can help.” What the hell was I saying? Help Jordan Brighton? Maybe I had lost my mind.

Annoyance filled my ear. “I don’t need your help. I need those fucking papers back. Now. You have them, I know you do. If you don’t return them by tomorrow morning, so help me, I’ll kill you before they kill me or Mary.”

All the air in my chest locked up. “What the hell are you talking about, Jordan? Are you telling me they’re threatening to kill both of you from what’s on those papers?”

A sigh left him and frustration laced his words. “I’ve said enough. Please, I need them back by tomorrow. Tonight, preferably. Just tell me where to meet you. I’ll bring money.”

This was bad. Very fucking bad. What in the hell had Mary gotten herself into? “Jordan, do you need my help? I’m serious. All bullshitting aside. I can hear you’re in trouble. You have Mary. Think about what’s best for her. The last thing I want is for her getting hurt. I know you don’t want that either. Think rationally here. Don’t let your pride get in the way of keeping her safe.”

“Do you have the papers, or not?”

Shit. This was a lose-lose situation whether I told him the truth or not. “If I said yes, will you let me try to help?”

Jordan laughed. “Let me guess, you’re going to propose you keep Mary so she’s protected. Is that it?”

My eyebrows rose. “Well, truthfully I hadn’t gotten that far into thinking about it, but it sounds good to me.”

“Fuck you. I’m not giving Mary back.”

“I didn’t think you would. What I was actually going to say is that you should come here, get together with me and my men, we’ll come up with a plan together. We can do this, Jordan. I can help you take down your father and Victor, if that’s the problem.” I took a deep breath. “I have more than enough evidence to do it. You’ll never be under their control again. You just say the word and it’s done.”

He was silent for so long I had to look down at my phone to make sure he hadn’t hung up. “Fuck the papers. Keep them. I’ll get another copy. And just so you know, your little theft and touching of
my
slave just came with consequences. Stay the fuck away from her.”

The phone went dead and I tossed it on the bed, clenching my jaw. What in the hell was he planning to do? He wouldn’t hurt Mary. I knew that, but what was the price? The papers didn’t have a date. Only a location and inventory. AR-15’s. Grenade launchers. I shook my head. Heroine. Cocaine. There was no way I could let Mary get around any of that stuff. Whether she knew or not was beyond me. I couldn’t imagine her going along with it, but if they were being threatened…maybe she had to.

What the hell did I do? If I brought down Jordan and Mary’s father, I could possibly end up screwing us all in the eyes of the law. I needed expert advice. Marcio, Brace, and Terrance. My lead men. They’d know. At least I sure as shit hoped they did.

Chapter 20

Mary

“Take them off.”

Jordan’s voice may have been calm, but the rage behind his eyes had me hesitating. I’d said I would trust him by taking off my clothes, but I wasn’t so sure I could do it anymore. Not after Slade came back into my world, turning it upside down. My master. Fuck, I wanted him right now. To flee into his arms and have him promise that he would take care of me and make this disaster now known as my life disappear.

My breath came out in deep, heavy pants. Jordan didn’t move from leaning against the wall. After we’d gotten in the car to leave the ER he went on a rampage, and I wasn’t sure why. I’d only been in my room for twenty minutes before he burst through in a flurry of destroying everything he could get his hands on. Only when my room was a complete mess, did he stop and look at me as calm as a saint and tell me to follow him. Stupidly, I did. Now, I was regretting not locking myself in some room and hiding. The fact was, I didn’t trust him concerning this.

“I’m not going to tell you again, Mary. Take them off.”

Shakily, my hand reached to the back of the dress and I tugged at the zipper a little. The trembling was so bad that the metal slid through my fingers. The basement was almost an exact replica of Slade’s playroom back in Washington. Everything from the cross to a spanking bench littered the room, but I felt nothing for it besides panic. “I…can’t do this.” I took a step back and watched Jordan push off the wall.

With a grace I couldn’t understand, he strode forward. He was calm. Too fucking calm. I knew that was the most dangerous kind. What he held inside wouldn’t bring me pleasure. Not when I didn’t want him.

“Come here.” His hands were deep in his pockets. The same ones that were covered with his blood. He’d yet to change. Something about that scared me even more.

“I want to go back to my room. I made a mistake.”

The side of his mouth lifted. “Yes. You made a huge fucking mistake tonight. How was it, Mary? Did he fuck you good? In my god damn car!”

Jordan was on me before I even processed him moving. Pain exploded in my scalp as he slammed me to the ground and wrapped his hand around my throat. My dress was ripped from my body with violent pulls, sending sapphire shreds flying through the air. For the first time, this was different. He wanted to hurt me, I knew that. Possibly even kill me.

My nails tore at his hands as I fought. Even my legs went wild while I tried to break free. The pressure increased as he brought his injured hand to join in on my throat. Air was impossible to get and I was sure my windpipe was on the verge crushing. Tears streamed down the sides of my face at the fire and pressure taking over the top half of my body.

“I bet you even gave him the fucking papers, didn’t you? You couldn’t just let go, could you? I would have given you fucking everything!” His yell echoed in the far distance while I felt myself slipping away. No, I didn’t want to die this way. With my last ounce of strength, I continued to swing my fists toward him. They were beginning to weigh so much. I was weak and I couldn’t stand it.

Air tunneled through as he jumped up and pulled me to stand. I immediately sagged in his hold. Coughing burned my lungs and I couldn’t stop. The instant gagging made the tears fall even worse. Restraints locked around my wrist and I snapped back to reality. There was no way I could let this continue.

“You have to stop,” I screamed. Nothing came out but a faint whisper. The blurriness in my eyes wouldn’t fade no matter how many times I blinked.

The back of Jordan’s hand stung my face and I felt my eyes go wide. No one had ever physically hit me aside from Brace when Slade took me. It was only that much more of a sign that Jordan was going to go too far. He was physically making me pay for my interlude with Slade. How did he know? Not once on the way home or while we were in the hospital did he seem mad or act like he even had a clue.

“I’m about to free you of your sins, Mary. This is what you need. Afterward, you’ll think twice about ever talking to that motherfucker again. You’re mine now. Mine!”

“Please.” I sobbed, silently. It physically hurt to even swallow. Words were like blades tearing me to shreds.

“No use begging, slave.” He laughed. “Slade called you slave. That’s my word now. I’ve tainted it for you, Mary. What do you think about that?”

The restraint buckled on my other wrist and I looked up at the big
X
I was on. The cross once held so many good memories for me. Now, it was a nightmare. “Fuck you, Jordan. I’ll never be your slave. That’s a title one has to earn. You’ll never be deserving.” The last few words were mouthed, but I knew he understood them. Pain exploded on the other side of my face. Stars danced before me and my weight pulled at the sockets of my arms.

“Before I’m finished, you’ll be calling me master. Don’t doubt that, sweetie.”

Jordan walked to the wall, taking down a cat o’ nine tails. The knotted leather lashes dangled as he swung it in his hand. I tried to scream, pulling against the leather cuffs. 

“You’re drowning up there, slave, and although I know I should save you, I long to see your blood staining that beautiful skin.” He came to stand before me, every bit the demon he held inside. The black of his pupils nearly took over all of the light color. I’d never seen anything like it. He looked possessed. A smile came to his face as he lovingly caressed his weapon of choice.

“Please,” I sobbed, clenching my fists. Waiting. Expecting him to lash out at any moment.

The hit came just as I anticipated, right across my chest where Slade’s name was. My flesh screamed when I couldn’t. The air locked in my chest while my brain fought to perceive the blow. By the time I caught my breath, warmth from the new cuts enflamed over my ribs. The impact of the blows were anything but tolerable. I gagged against the viciousness and agony, but Jordan didn’t stop. My lower stomach, both hips, my thighs, they were all targets of the cat o’ nine.

“Fucking beautiful.” Jordan dropped to his knees, running his tongue up my thigh, collecting the blood. My stomach revolted, making me gag again. I kicked at him, glad he never bound my feet. His hands squeezed my inner thighs and I knew the bruises were going to be horrible. “I see that obviously wasn’t enough. Maybe we’ll try something new. My personal favorite.”

Jordan stood, picking a scalpel up from a tray. My legs twisted my body as far as it would go. I pulled against the cross, ready to drag the thing behind me as long as I could escape. Unfortunately, it didn’t so much as move.

“You’re going to want to be really still for this, slave. If not…” he smiled, “you may end up being cut pretty damn deep. That wouldn’t be very good for either of us. Your choice, of course. You keep kicking around if you want. Either way, I’m going to cut you so good. You’re going to love this. Really, you are. You’ll be begging me to do it all the time.”

My legs flew out, trying to keep him at a safe distance. Jordan’s fingers caught my ankle and he wedged it under his arm. I thrashed, trying to get free, but I couldn’t budge the hold he had. The thin blade barely looked like it touched my skin, but at the pain and the blood oozing from a good two inches above my knee, I knew it’d done its job.

“Fuck, yes. It’s been way too long.” His eyes looked at the cut almost adoringly. It was enough to make me stop fighting. My mind wouldn’t process what was happening. For a good minute, he just stared.  Higher, he cut me again. Still, I didn’t move. No doubt I was bordering on shock again, but I didn’t even worry about that as he moved to my stomach. The awe he held in his gaze rose to me. “I knew you’d like it. I’m so proud of you. Thank you, Mary. I needed this. I think we both did.”

And just like that, the scalpel fell from his hand and he stood. The embrace around my waist and his head resting in my neck kept me in a blank stare. That was it? He wasn’t going to continue to torture me or try to kill me? The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality made me dizzy. A release. This is how he got his, by beating and cutting women? Slade had said he’d done horrible things. Why didn’t I take it to heart? There was something wrong with Jordan. He wasn’t a Master or Dom, he had no discipline. My consent wasn’t given, yet he treated me as if I had.

The buckles were undone and my legs instantly locked. Jordan swept me into his arms and pounded up the stairs until we reached his restroom. My reflection sent me into a horror I was sure I’d never recover from. The whites of my eyes were pink. Dark red spots where the blood vessels had ruptured instantly made me sick all over myself. I couldn’t stop it this time. My eyes, the bruises on my cheeks, and the slicing all over my body pushed even the bounds I was comfortable with, and that was saying a lot.

“I’m going to take good care of you. Shh. No more crying.” The water started and I winced and sobbed the whole way through his washing. The chance to escape didn’t come as he put me in his bed, under the covers. Jordan laid on top, holding me and stroking my hair. Blood dotted his white sheets and I didn’t care.

It was time. First moment he was gone, so was I.

****

The sound of water running awoke me from a deep sleep. My body froze as the agony of my wounds came to life. I scrambled to all fours and took in everything around me. Clothes. Yes, I need some of those. A pair of jogging pants and a black t-shirt sat on the top of the dresser and I pulled them on as fast as I could. Jordan’s keys to the BMW rested by his wallet and I grabbed them, racing for the downstairs. Not once since I’d been here had he been so careless. Beating me must have made him thoughtless. No doubt he was basking in the afterglow of his damage.