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  “Oh shit, Tori. Are you okay?”

  I look up to tell him I’m fine and see Amber staring at our exchange. She is probably just as confused as I am about his behavior toward me. He pulls me up by my arm, and we are running again. Once we get to the dock, I see Savage loading Maria and Tina onto a sleek, all black boat. Are they taking us into the ocean in the dark? I can’t swim, and I hate the ocean. Panic sets in just as Jax passes Amber off to Savage and he loads her on the boat. “No...... no, no, no! Jax, I can’t swim. Oh my god, please don’t make me get on that boat.” Grabbing me by both arms, he shakes me a little.

  “Victoria, listen to me. This is our ride, Love. We don’t have another choice, and we are out of time. I won’t let you drown. I was a Seal for eight years and can swim carrying two men if I need to.”

  Shaking my head no, again and again, is not getting the message across, so I start moving my feet backward away from the water when I feel a prick in my neck. Turning slightly, I see Savage standing behind me holding a syringe. The last sight I see is the look of horror on Jax’s face.

  ∞∞∞

  “Dammit, Sav! What the hell, Mate!

  “Dude, she was not going to cooperate, and we still have to go back to the house and finish this job. She wouldn’t have willingly stayed on the boat with the others. I had no choice.”

  The look on her face right before she closed her eyes was betrayal. What the hell will she think when she wakes up? Savage is right; there was no other way to go about this. I had no idea she was afraid of the water and couldn’t swim.

  I step onto the boat and lay her down on a bench by Maria. “We’ll be right back.” Maria nods, so we rush back up the slope just as Slim stumbles from the house shouting into a phone.

  “Sully, they took em, all of em!”

  Dammit! I knew we should have made him drink more.

  “Drug.......us all.”

  Slim holds up a gun and fires wildly in our general direction. He probably couldn’t hit a non-moving target in his condition, but we aren’t taking any chances with stray bullets. Looking at Troy, we both nod and race back to the water. Revenge will have to come another day.

  “They gots boats, Sully, on the water.”

  More gun shots. “Get down.” We both scream at the women, and they drop out of sight. I’m damn glad Savage brought the metal boat instead of a zodiac. Even though the zodiac is durable, I can’t take chances with Tori. We both dive in; Savage gets behind the wheel, and before I can blink, we are backing away from shore. Slim is still shouting, but now he is out of bullets. Shit! That didn’t go as planned. I knew I should have killed him my first day here.

  We only have to go slow while navigating out of Sag Harbor Bay into Gardiners Bay. Once we pass Gardiners Island, it should only take us about two and a half hours to get to Boston. From there, Savage arranged for private charter for Tori and me into Costa Rica. He will take Maria, Tina, and Amber into protective custody until we can take out every one of the men involved or gather enough evidence to put them away for life.

  Tori will not wake until two hours into our flight, but I’m worried about her reaction when she realizes she’s not going home. What will she think of me then? Will she think I took her for myself as the other guards have said? I did, but not for the reasons she may think. Will she become a shell of herself as I found her a week ago, or will she be so pissed that I will have a fight on my hands? That might be fun; I’d like to see a feisty Tori.

  Maybe I can introduce her to the Cabecares children in the local village. The indigenous people on the Southern Atlantic coast took their sweet time in warming up to me, but now they swarm me every time I come back to see what I bring for them from my travels. Ina and her children take care of my house while I’m away so they will be the first introduction. I know Tori studied child development and wanted to go into teaching. I think she will easily warm up to my Costa Rican family.

  Even though this was not the original plan, I like the direction it’s going. Maybe I can get her attached to the locals, and she will never want to leave. I need to bind her to me any way I can because I don’t think I can let her go.

  One hour into our boat ride my burner phone rings. I answer but seeing who it is, say nothing.

  “You double-crossing son of a bitch! I will kill you and anyone you associate with. Do you hear me? You think you’ve saved that slave? How do you think she will feel when she finds out we have her sister again? Will she hate you for ruining her family reunion? Will she blame you for her sister’s murder when she finds out you’re the reason I killed her? I will have Serenity James by nightfall. I plan to rape her and slit her throat on my bed. I will video tape it while she bleeds out, gasping for breath and begging for her sister to save her.”

  “You don’t have Serenity, and you will never find her before I come for you.”

  “I know exactly where she is. You messed with the wrong guy. Watch for the video.”

  Damn, I hope Derek remembers about our email. That is the only way I can reach him now. Using my phone, I log into the protected account and type a short message.

  Found her, RUN!

  Hopefully, he takes that both ways. I hit send, close my phone and drop it into the ocean.

  Chapter Ten

  Preserve:

  *maintain something in its original or existing state. *maintain or keep alive. *keep safe from harm or injury

  Stretching, I reach up to rub a sore spot on my neck and roll my head on my shoulders. This is not my bed I’m lying on. I can tell because I’m in a sitting position, mostly reclined. Cracking open one eye, the first thing I see is Jax’s face and the night comes rushing into my memory. I remember the water and panic, the syringe and shock. Did Savage betray Jax or was this the plan all along that they wouldn’t tell me about.

  “Love, I know you’re gonna be mad, but I need you to listen to me before you freak out. Okay?

  I nod, not taking my eyes off of his face because in my peripheral I can see we are in a small compartment that has a rounded ceiling and small airplane like windows. I hate flying and anything to do with heights. If I concentrate on his face, maybe I won’t freak out.

  “I want to start off by apologizing for the syringe. I didn’t know Savage was going to do that, but it became necessary so we could leave. We escaped the house but just barely. Slim didn’t drink as much as the other guards, and he came to just as we were going back in to burn The House. I’m sorry we left them intact but at the first opportunity, I will go back and finish the job we started.”

  “Where are we? Where are the others? Why are we on a plane and where are we going?” Worst-case scenarios are playing through my head. Did he really take me for himself like the other guards accused him of planning to do? Like the guards who took my sister from the house to sell her to a different buyer than The House had planned? Is that what will happen to me? I knew I should have never let my walls down around him because the betrayal and heartbreak will be too much. I close my eyes to block out his face and my continual nightmare, as tears roll down my cheeks. Can’t he just kill me and get it over with? What makes a man turn evil and lose all humanity? Keeping my eyes closed, I retreat into that secret place in my head where nothing matters, not even myself. Nothing he has to say will change my future. I will just wait patiently and silently for it to be over.

  ∞∞∞

  “Love...Tori,......” Dammit! She has shut me out, and it will take a miracle to pull her back to reality. Intense pleasure seems to work the best, but that will not happen thirty thousand feet in the air with Snake having a full view from the cockpit.

  Snake is one of my team members from my days as a Seal, and we have all remained close, like brothers. Knowing Tori is not reachable, I move up to the front to co-pilot with Snake. He is going to stay in Costa Rica with me for a few days and then head back to Boston to get Savage. Savage and I are both on indefinite leave of absence, and no one is to know where we are.

  “You l
ost her?”

  “Yeah. She has been through some unimaginable shit and created her own panic room inside her head. I don’t know what she’s going to do once she knows I’ve taken her out of the country.”

  ‘Why don’t you just try to be honest with her?”

  Leave it to Snake to be blunt and insightful. “I will in my own time. You just don’t understand how it was in The House. I couldn’t tell her the truth, due to the risk of blowing my cover. She was in an extremely fragile state because of their version of sub training and the loss of her sister. We had to keep up pretenses until Savage arrived and we could make a plan to get her out. The truth then would have caused more damage to her emotionally and mentally.”

  “Seems to me, keeping it from her did that.”

  Shit! I hate Snake right now.

  ∞∞∞

  Being jolted awake is never a good thing. I don’t even remember falling asleep. This is why I hate flying. We are nothing but a tiny matchbox car/plane that can be batted out of the sky with just a gust of wind. Mother Nature toys with humans just to let them know she’s boss. The pit of my stomach has ended up by my rapidly beating heart, and I think I’m going to throw up. Unbuckling the seat belt to go search for a bathroom was my first mistake. Standing up to get to said bathroom is my second. The tiny unstable scrap of metal decides to drop out of the sky with what feels like fifty feet and throws me into the door. Trusting Jax ever is the third mistake; I think to myself two seconds before I think nothing.

  ∞∞∞

  “Shit!” Jumping out of my seat to rush to Tori, crumpled on the floor at the back of the airplane, causes my own form of panic. I have been shot, stabbed, electrocuted and beaten within an inch of my life, but have never felt this kind of hell. My Seal team and I have seen the worst of the worst situations, but nothing compares to seeing Tori knocked out by turbulence. I should have been paying attention and been there to help her. She hit so hard it vibrated all the way to the cockpit. God, I hope she doesn’t have a concussion. When will I get a break with this woman?

  Rolling her over and seeing she is still breathing allows me to relax a bit. I pick her up and carry her to the seat and sit down with her cradled in my lap. We only have thirty minutes left until we reach Limon International on the Southern Atlantic Coast, so I’m just going to hold her the rest of the way.

  “Is she okay?” Snake shouts.

  “Yeah, she’s knocked out, but I’m staying back here. Can you land by yourself?”

  “Sure thing.”

  An hour later we are in a jeep and traveling to West Falla where I store my own zodiac. Tori is still out cold and hopefully will stay that way while we travel by boat to Rio Banano. My property is secluded and across the river from the Rio Banano Village. Some of the Cabecares people have migrated over to my side for the privacy from the larger village. Ina and her children are one of thirty families on my side of the river. There are close to sixty children ranging in age from newborns to fourteen. At the age of fifteen, they are considered adults and will be highly offended if you call them children. I didn’t have time to bring back trinkets for the children, so I emptied the plane of all the American snacks and drinks to give as gifts.

  Savage called ahead and had a runner notify Ina I was coming in. She is waiting at the door when we arrive. The look she gives me is comical, when she sees me carrying an unconscious woman into the house.

  “Oh Señor J, tu recurres a esto?” (You resort to this)?

  She clicks her tongue and shakes her head at me. Of course, she would think I have to kidnap a woman in order to get her to come here. She has offered to set me up with a village girl but then changed her mind. “No importa J, el bebè no va ser compatible con el pelo rubio.” Which means she thinks something is wrong with my skin and hair color and will ruin their genetic line, in not so many words. I am the freak of the village with light tan skin and blonde hair.

  I burst out laughing and continue to my room to lay Tori down. Shit! What a mess. “Ina, por favor, que la observe. Se golpeò la cabeza y puede necesitar atencion mèdica.” (Please check her out. She hit her head and may need medical attention.)

  “Si J.”

  I watch in amazement as Ina moves about lighting herbs on fire to smoke up the room and then makes a paste she puts on Tori’s forehead. I don’t know how their healing methods work, but they do. I wonder if she thinks I clubbed her over the head to get her here. I chuckle as she gives me one more look and walks out. Yup, that’s what she thinks.

  Chapter Eleven

  Assure:

  *tell someone something to dispel any doubts. *make sure of something. *cover a life by assurance. *make something certain to happen

  What the hell is that smell? Is someone burning weeds? I crack open an eye to stare at a big leaf ceiling fan through a sheer canopy that surrounds the king sized bed I’m in. The air is a little humid but cool, and a balcony door is open letting in more fresh air. Looking to my left, I see something like burning incense, in a petri dish. What the hell is on my forehead? I feel my forehead and touch something pasty. There is a washcloth on the nightstand by the incense so I reach through the sheer curtain and grab it to wipe off my forehead.

  “How are you feeling?”

  Startled, I spin my head to the right and instantly get dizzy. As my vision clears, I see Jax standing in the balcony doorway looking more sinful than ever. I really don’t know how I feel about this situation, so I say nothing.

  “Look, I know your confused and probably really pissed off, but will you listen to me so I can explain my choices and actions?”

  His choices? Oh, that’s right, I don’t have any. I remain silent just like they taught me.

  ∞∞∞

  “Ooookay. I’m just going to start talking and if you want to ask me any questions, just stop me, and I will answer anything. My full name is Jaxson Levi Wilson. I am a twenty-nine-year-old Australian American. I spent eight years with a Navy Seal Team and retired three years ago to join the FBI. About a month and a half ago, Sully Vrennikov started coming to The Club. This is a place I go to teach people about BDSM. He would watch me work with subs on all the nights he came in and just stand in the shadows. Approximately four weeks ago, he approached me and said he had a job proposal for me that would pay me an exorbitant amount of money. He only gave me little bits of information each time we met to keep me coming back for more. I knew he was up to no good and wanted to see if I could take apart his organization. I agreed to sign on with him before I ever knew anything about you, and I believe even before you were taken.

  A buddy of mine called me a week and a half ago and asked me to meet with him about a problem he was having. During that meeting, he told me he found a woman in the mountains by his home. She was bloody, beaten and half frozen, so he took her home to care for her. He asked me to search missing persons to see if I could find any information on her. During my search, I found you and your sister, Serenity. At this point, Derek had only given me a brief description of his mystery guest and that she was badly injured and spent a week unconscious. Even when she came too, she had amnesia so she couldn’t tell him who she was. The day before my meeting with Derek, I ran into Sully in The X Club, and he told me he needed me at The House sooner than planned because two of his guards had stolen one of his products and there was an accident. His guards were dead, and they couldn’t find the body of his product. He needed me to fill in and train a sub and teach her sexual domination. On my way to The House, a guard called and told me to hurry because you were in rough shape. He said your trainer told you about your dead sister and you broke. I am 99.9% positive that your sister is not dead and is healing with my friend Derek.” She gasps, and I can barely make out her face through the sheer screen, but I know she is crying.

  I can’t stand the separation anymore, so I move to the bed and slip through the screen to sit on the other side.

  “Why didn’t you tell me? You knew how distraught I was over the loss of my sister,
and yet you let me believe she was dead. How could you?”

  “I know it doesn’t make any sense to you, but you have to understand the position I was in at The House. The men hated me for taking a job they felt should have gone to them, so I couldn’t do anything to jeopardize my cover. I had to let you believe I was who you thought I was. Many nights while holding you, I wanted to tell you the truth, but I couldn’t chance you behaving differently towards me and confirming the other men’s suspicions. They already thought I wanted to steal you for myself.

  “Didn’t you?”

  Is that a trick question? If I say no, she will think I don’t want her. If I say yes, will she think I took her to own her, like a slave? Will she think that I am no better than her captors? Tears are free flowing down her cheeks, and her eyes glow like clear green glass. She speaks again before I have a chance to think of the best answer.

  “Where am I?”

  Shit! I dodged one question just to get sunk by another. “My vacation home in Costa Rica.” She is so fast that she is off the bed and out my bedroom door, slamming it shut behind her before I had time to prepare for her reaction. Shit! “Tori, Dammit stop.” I jump over the balcony and race to the front of the house to see her running as fast as those long ass legs will carry her, down the dirt road and towards the village. If Ina sees her, she is going to have a field day with this. Picking up speed, I hope to get lucky and catch her before she reaches the first house and cries rape or help I’ve been kidnapped. She has no shoes, and the dirt and rocks are slowing her down, just enough that I’m only ten yards behind her when a group of village children run into the road to play football. If she keeps going, she is going to plow them over, but at the last minute she veers off into the woods. The children stop and stare as I dart into the woods shouting at her to stop. Their laughter is loud and out of control, and I do not doubt that I will be the talk of the village today. “Dammit Tori, I’ll let you contact your sister.” She still doesn’t slow. “The closer to the river you run, the more snakes you will see.” That did it, and she stopped dead in her tracks. I wasn’t expecting it and plowed into her back, taking us both to the ground. I turned at the last minute to avoid crushing her beneath me, so she landed on me and not the other way around.