Hope Restrained (Estate Series) (15 page)

A new room with empty
walls: a sea of nothing that never seemed to end. The monotony of white only
broken by the black iron bars that caged her. Honor remembered screaming,
fighting off the monsters that removed her from the place where he would come
to her. She feared she’d failed too often and her angel moved on to find a
woman more worthy of his touch.

Waking up, she heard
muffled groans and cries, the screams no longer tearing her mind apart, but
suffocating her with the knowledge that she was not the only woman tested by
her angel.

There were many. All
bruised and tattered; dirty and awaiting him. Honor’s body tensed with jealousy
and shame, wondering if one of those who surrounded her would be chosen.

The machines were not
new. Wheels, crosses, tables and chairs intended for cruelty, for blood. She’d
seen them before, had been strapped to their bone shattering surfaces —
beaten, broken, and left raw. They made her worthy of his beauty and love.

The monsters whispered
in a corner, the black of their eyes looking back in her direction, white teeth
glistening against the low light of the large room. Crouching low, she cornered
herself against the back of her square prison. Her eyes darted back and forth,
but she was barely able to see beyond the mound of skin that had swollen on her
face from their punishment.

Two of the monsters
broke away; lewd grins barely discernible on their features when they stepped
towards her. Balling over herself, her head shook as she silently begged to be
passed.

Each man knelt down to
look into her cage, their eyes peering in at her bringing back to life the bits
and pieces of what they’d done to her.

“You ready, princess? Behave
and we’ll present you in a way that will please ‘your angel.’” His low laughter
was cold, dripping with mockery. She wondered if he believed she’d be unready
once again.

Her body trembled.

“Dose her before you
remove her.” The monsters stood speaking to each other about her as if she was
nothing more than an animal.

“Why don’t we have
some fun with her first? He’ll never know. What’s another mark on the bitch’s
body? I’ve been eyeing this one since she was dragged in.”

The only response was
a sickening gurgle, crimson liquid dripping down the monster’s legs in a flood
before his body fell to the ground, splashing the stain of his demise onto
Honor’s skin.

The screams started
again, tearing her mind apart.

“Shut up, all of you,
before I give you a fucking reason to scream!”

Quiet came over the
room — punctured by sobs and tears, the smell of urine a faint trace in
the air.

After dragging the
body of one away, the other knelt again, the clatter of metal against metal as
he unlocked the small door. His mismatched eyes looked in as the bars swung
open. “You need to be cleaned. I’d hate for you to be rejected once again.”

She didn’t want to go
with him, but she wanted to be clean for her angel. She would be good this time,
would bite through her own lip if it meant holding in any sound that tried to
force its way from her body. She wanted to enjoy his touch, felt ashamed that
pain overtook her when all that mattered was that he was pleased. He’d take her
away from this nightmare if only she could give him what he required.

Crawling forward, she
allowed the monster to take her by the arm, feeling a small prick to her skin
and knowing the poison he’d given would loosen her — render her open and
waiting for his test. He led her to a corner of the large room. “Stand there. Move
and you’ll be punished.”

Knives created from
ice; the water beneath her pink and muddled brown, the spray against her skin
unrelenting and cutting like fine razors across her body. She grit her teeth while
her bones ground against each other, her muscles frenzied and shaking from the
violent cold of the water.

When it ceased and she
was left dripping where she stood, he approached. Looking her up and down, his
mouth twisted into a grin. “He’s asked that you be set up before his arrival. Do
not fight me.” He held out his arm to motion towards the other women held in
cages throughout the room. “Don’t you want to show them how you are the most
worthy?”

She was walked to a
table, her arms and legs becoming liquid from the poison that coursed through
her veins. She stumbled and the monster grabbed her hips to steady her. Reaching
the table, she bent over it, hissed at the cold bite of the metal surface over
her skin. He locked her wrists into place beside where her head rested on the
table, her chin gripped by the small indentation on the side. A steel bar was
placed over the back of her neck and locked down, rendering her immobile. After
securing her feet, he moved in front of her and knelt down. Slipping his finger
over her swollen and broken lips, he pushed in, the tip running across her
tongue before he pulled it back out again. Her stomach turned.

“Fail again and next
time, you’re mine.” Standing up, he motioned towards the cages in the room. “Cover
them all with blankets to block their view.” He chuckled. “It will let the
bitches hear what a true whore sounds like.”

When the men had
covered the cages of each woman in the room, they left out a side door. Honor
sat motionless on the table, not daring to move an inch in case her angel
silently watched.

She felt the warmth of
his palm on her skin, flinching in surprise at the sudden touch. The low tone
of his voice soothed her shock and she smiled against the unforgiving steel of
her perch. “Misbehaving already. Do not jump away from me, my pet. This is your
last chance to please your angel.”

A tear, hot and wet,
dripped from her eye. She blinked the others back.

He walked around,
placed the strap into her mouth, connecting the small chains he would use to
hold her in place. Lifting the steel bar as he passed, he pulled on the chains
once positioned behind her. Her body bent backwards, her ass lifted in
presentation.

She felt him invade
her, pushing into the deep recesses of her body, working her — molding
her into the perfect woman. When he pulled free, she felt suddenly empty, a
void previously filled with the full width of his promise.

“Good.” He purred.

Pushing forward again,
he entered another place, the skin tearing at his girth, her teeth biting
heavily into the strap in her mouth. But she never made a sound. When he moved,
he pulled the chain bending her back further. “Show me you appreciate your
gift, pet.”

She moaned against the
pain, eventually relaxing around him until he growled out his release, pulling
free once taking what he wanted.

She heard his boots
hit the ground when he circled the table to stand before her. Removing the
strap, he placed the steel bar back in place.

Placing his hand on
her head softly, he said, “You are chosen. The next time you see me you’ll be
leaving this place.”

His hand left her head
and she heard his boots again when he walked from the room. The taste of her
grateful tears kissed her lips, the salt sweetly stinging where her lip had
been split.

“No. Absolutely not. They’ll kill you as soon as you enter
the building if what Hope is saying is true. You are my lead guard and my spy,
they’ll never believe you turned on me.” Green eyes shone out from a blank
expression, no hint of bending on the decision he’d made.

Xander leaned back against the wall of Aaron’s office. “You
have the entire network searching for me with instructions to return me to you
for execution. I assume now is the best time for anybody to believe I’m no
longer your most trusted.”

The two men stared at each other, neither flexible in the
decision they’d made.

Maddy spoke into the silence between them. “Xander may be
correct, Aaron. If Patrick is involved in the attempt against you, there may be
other units involved as well. If we can discover who it is, you’ll have a valid
excuse for bringing those units down. It would be another step towards finally
destroying the network.”

Hope stood by the built in bookshelves in the office,
disbelief settling over her shoulders to learn that the three were working to
destroy the network from within. Once she and Xander had made it inside, they’d
immediately gathered in Aaron’s office and Xander revealed the identity of the
man she’d described. He’d pulled a photograph and her stomach turned in
reaction to the image. Yes. The bastard depicted in the photo was, in fact, the
man who’d held Honor’s chain.

“Forty-eight hours, Aaron. That’s all I need.” Xander spoke
without emotion, business like in order to convince Aaron that his idea was not
without merit.

Aaron quietly considered what Maddy and Xander had said
before responding, “Forty-eight hours. That is all I’m willing to give you.” He
paused, obviously considering another potential issue. “Dependent upon the
amount of men involved, I’ll need to incorporate Jason’s assistance. It would
be best to have someone more acquainted with the individual unit members. I
know each leader, however, their underlings appear to change daily and I don’t
want to involve any of the leaders until we have each man identified as to the
unit to which they belong.”

 
“I’ll need my
weapons.” Hope interrupted. If their mission was going to be a slaughter, she
was determined to take part. Her skills would be useful to the few men who
would be coming in with Aaron.

Xander’s blue-eyed gaze rested on her face. “You are going
in as a slave. They’ll never believe I allowed you to keep your weapons. If
weapons are found on you, it might tip them off to what we are doing.”

“I’m going in as YOUR slave. Keep their grubby hands off my
body and they’ll never know that I’m armed.” Her eyebrow arched in challenge of
his concern.

The entire room grew silent in reaction to her words. She
looked from Xander’s face to Aaron’s, and eventually to Maddy’s. “Was it
something I said?”

“Slaves of The Estate were not permitted to wear clothes.” Maddy’s
delicate voice pierced the air. “You’ll be stripped immediately upon entering
the building. You’ll have to comply if it is to be believable.”

Hope’s body tensed. The idea of walking in unarmed went
against everything she was trained to do in her profession.

Aaron eyed her, a small, knowing grin peeking out at the
corner of his mouth — mocking her. “I don’t understand your hesitancy,
Hope. Being that we are alike in our
habits
,
I assume you’ve been adequately trained in hand to hand combat as much as the
use of weapons. However, if you have not …”

“I’m fine.” The metallic gold of her eyes stared back,
noting the arrogance in Aaron’s expression. “If you’d like to find out for
yourself, I’m sure that can be arranged.” She smiled when she noticed how he
immediately fell into a discreet fighting stance at the sharp cut of her tone.

Xander pushed off the wall, moving to step in between the
two assassins. “Fighting amongst ourselves won’t solve anything.”

“Why not?” Hope turned to Xander, her stance also easing
into one intended for a fight. “It might do him some good to have his dick
ripped from his body and shoved down his throat.”

Xander’s eyes widened and when she looked back to Aaron, a
blade was already at his palm. She grinned in response.

“Please don’t. I’m rather fond of his dick and I’d like it
to remain where it’s useful.” The words sounded wrong when spoken; Maddy’s
small voice ringing out with innocence and kindness despite the crude topic.

Hope, Xander and Aaron turned in unison to stare at her. She
shrugged in response.

Looking over the petite brunette, Hope asked. “Are you sure?
From what you just told me, he marched you around naked in your role as a slave.
What kind of man does that to a woman he cares for?”

Maddy blinked, her dark lashes momentarily covering the
sapphire blue of her eyes before she smiled. “He also allowed another man to
touch me, a woman to rape me, he whipped me, and he executed other slaves in
front of me, leaving their entrails for me to clean from the floor.”

Hope’s jaw dropped. Complete shock overtook her and she was
unable to respond to what Maddy had said.

Maddy walked over to Aaron and wrapped her arm around his. “But
sometimes, when you are stuck in an impossible situation, the solution is not
always violence and fighting your way out. Sometimes, it takes patience and
cunning to free yourself. Remember that when you two go in to that warehouse. It
might be the only thing that saves you and your sister’s life.”

Despite Maddy making light of prior events between them,
Hope noticed that Aaron’s face looked pained to be reminded of the past. Maddy
noticed as well and brought her hand up to rest it against his cheek. “We
accomplished what we set out to accomplish at that time,” she reminded him
quietly. “And even if we have to continue enduring the madness that this
network breeds, eventually we’ll be free of it and will watch it burn to the
ground around us.”

Aaron relaxed, but his expression carried an undercurrent of
renewed determination. He looked up from Maddy to lock his gaze on Xander. “You
will go in fully armed. If possible, carry some of Hope’s weapons in with you
as well. If you are caught, or if something goes wrong prior to my arrival,
give Hope her weapons so that you both can fight your way out.”

Xander nodded his understanding. “The first thing we’ll need
to do is escape the compound. I’ll need you to pull the guards away from the
perimeter wall.”

“It’ll be done.”

Turning to Hope, Xander held out his hand. “Care to escort me
to my room? I’ll only be able to carry a few of your weapons as well as mine. I’ll
let you pick your favorites.” He winked.

She smiled in response, uncertainty creeping along her
thoughts at how Xander was able to set her at ease. Accepting his hand, she
looked back at Aaron and Maddy. Both of their expressions were grim. “Don’t
worry. I’ll make sure that if my sister still lives, both she and Xander will
walk away from this intact.”

Maddy’s brows furrowed deeper. “What about you?”

Hope blinked at her concern, not used to having someone who
cared if she returned. “I’ve wished for death for many years, Maddy. Considering
I’ve never yet had a wish come true in this hell I’ve called a life, I’m not
worried that it will happen now. We will see each other again.”

~
   
~
   
~

Run down to a point of looking deserted, the large white
warehouse was shadowed by the dark sky, a phantom across the horizon only when
the bright moonlight above touched softly upon the metal surface of the
building.

Silently, Hope and Xander walked the perimeter of the
building, seeking out hidden exits or small areas where they could escape if
they were discovered.

“It’s closed in tight, I’ve seen only two doors besides the
main door. Retreat would be difficult if things went sour.” Xander spoke low so
that his words would not carry on the wind that beat violently against their
bodies.

Hope straightened her spine, while rolling her shoulders
back, stretching her neck out in habit, physically loosening the muscles in her
body so that her movement would be smooth and fluid. “Then we’ll have no choice
but to be believable.”

Xander chuckled, the howl of the wind making the sound
barely discernable. “I’m interested to see you play the part of a slave, it’ll
be amusing watching you attempt to keep your mouth shut and do as you’re told.”

She looked up at him, noticed how his cheek dimpled from the
grin pulling at his mouth. Their bodies brushed up against each other from how
close they stood and a small pang of desire ran through her at the contact. His
expression fell when he looked back at the building. “I want to warn you what
you could see in there. If these men are anything like Joseph, you can expect
blood and lots of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if flayed bodies hung on the
walls.”

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

He nodded. “I’m sure. However, if your sister is one of
those bodies, will you be able to stop yourself from slaughtering every man in
that room?”

His words were cold … callous in the blunt manner in which
he spoke them. Hope took a deep breath attempting to goad her heart back into a
slow and steady rhythm. She allowed images to flit through her head. Visions of
her sister — naked, bound and bruised — at the end of a madman’s
chain. “I’m prepared for whatever we find.”

Xander looked over at her, reached out to tuck a piece of
hair behind her ear. The gesture was so soft compared to words of his response,
“I’ll treat you like a whore. Do not assume that it doesn’t infuriate me to do
so as much as it will anger you to have it done. I’m sure whatever you have
seen, and whatever you think you are prepared to see, is like a dream compared
to what I know could be happening behind those walls.”

She looked up at him again, her eyes widening in shock.

“You may have grown up in the shadow of The Estate, but I
grew up inside it. The rumors and murmurs that manage to escape its walls don’t
even begin to touch upon the truth of the horror that existed within the
mansion.” He paused before looking at her again, foggy memories of a distant
cruelty obvious behind the blue of his eyes. “Joseph killed my parents and my
sister. From what I’ve heard, I was taken as another punishment inflicted on my
father — kept alive so that my parents could never rest.”

“Did you witness their deaths?”

Dark memories settled farther behind his eyes and he grew
quiet. Finally breaking his silence, he confessed, “I was present when it
happened, but I don’t remember the details except for bits and pieces.”

She leaned into him and his hand moved to rub down her back.
“When this is over — regardless of what happens after we go inside
— can I stay?”

His body stilled, his eyes locked to hers in disbelief.

She shrugged. “We both have scores to settle with The
Estate. If the three of you are truthful in your intent to destroy it, I want
to help you.”

Silence again before he smiled a wicked grin. “I’m surprised
you ask that question.”

“Why?”

“Because I thought you would have figured out by now, that I
have no absolutely no intention of ever letting you go.”

Leaning down, he brushed his lips across hers, their bodies
covered by the shadows filling the alley where they stood. She felt the leather
of the collar encircle her throat while his lips moved slowly over hers. Once
it was locked into place, she felt him tug the chain before he pulled away. “It’s
time. You need to remove your clothes.”

The full weight of their situation finally rested over her
body. She would be vulnerable and exposed, an easy target going in without
weapons and without clothes to cover her. Maddy’s words echoed in her head and Hope
took another deep breath.

“Do me a favor.” She grabbed his hand, relishing the heat of
his skin against hers before looking up at him again. “If you can save my
sister, I want you to do it regardless; even if it means my death. She is
innocent and she doesn’t deserve what’s happened to her.”

He looked like he wanted to argue, but then understanding
flashed behind his eyes. “How will I know it’s your sister?”

Hope frowned and turned to look back at the building. “That’s
simple. She’s my identical twin.”