BLAKE: Captive to the Dark (3 page)

Marie sobbed and more of her small body pressed against me. Tears came to my eyes as Frenchie broke down, too, but I held mine in. I didn’t cry before, and I wouldn’t now. We were too close to being free. No use shedding tears when they were useless. They weren’t going to carry me to the plane, and the weakness that followed would only set me back in our journey.

“Here. Drink.” Blake thrust a small thermos in my direction and pulled a phone out. My hand shook as I took it and drank the cold water down. I didn’t want to stop, but somehow managed to force myself. The other girls copied my movements, passing it back and forth.

“Javier, get the plane ready. We’ll be there shortly.” The light from the cell turned off and he pushed it back into his pocket.

My
excitement soared, giving me renewed energy. “We should go,” I whispered. “Not much longer now.” Instinctively, I kissed both of their cheeks. It felt natural and gave me pause. I tried to ignore my uncharacteristic response while I handed Blake the drink. The glow from the flashlight showed me nothing as to his emotions. He was watching my every move, but he remained stoic.

“Come, Kaitlyn.” His arm bent and I slid mine through, giving my other to Marie. The snow began to crunch under ou
r feet again. Minutes went by, and then what felt like hours. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been walking, but I knew I was dead on my feet. Fogginess settled into my mind and my legs were numb. I kept stumbling, barely able to lift my own weight.
Home
kept repeating in my head, but it wasn’t working anymore.

“Almost there, Kaitlyn. How you doing?”

Although I couldn’t see Blake, I could feel his stare. Heaviness pulled at my eyelids and I fought to keep them open.

“Talk to me.” His voice was so far away.

I felt myself falling forward before my mind registered the act. The world turned on its axis and Blake’s arms were scooping me up before I hit the ground. He was talking. Somehow, I knew that, but what he way saying was beyond me. Nothing was processing. My eyes rolled and I caught the dark shadows of trees moving overhead. Pain in my back brought me slightly back to reality. I heard myself groan, but it sounded muffled.

“Come on, girls. Maybe a quarter of a mile left. You’re all doing great. Just keep holding onto my belt.”

Unconsciousness pulled at me and I fought it with everything I had. The battle was a losing one. My mouth flew open at the pain from Blake adjusting his arms. The last of my survival instincts kicked in.

“Blake.” My hand gripped against the front of his dark sweater. I was afraid
of what was happening. Something told me my body was shutting down and the fear of not waking up was suddenly the most terrifying thing I could ever imagine. I’d done nothing but beg for death since I’d been taken. Now, I wanted to live. “I’m scared.”

Lips pressed against my forehead as he cradled me. “Who’s got you, Kaitlyn?”

“You do,” I whispered. The darkness was sucking me down fast. My head rolled to the side and Blake’s words echoed in my head.

“That’s right, baby. You’re safe with me.” His voice lowered. “For now.”

Chapter 3

Blake

Tough. That didn’t even begin to describe the woman in my arms. Son of a bitch. I had never expected her to last so long. It wasn’t from lack of trying either. She’d given it everything she had to make it back to the car. The internal side of her had won. Kaitlyn was sick. The fever taking over her body didn’t escape me. She had an infection and if I didn’t get her to the hospital fast, it was going to get worse. But, here? Fuck, I didn’t trust to keep her on Russian soil.

The bushes came into sight and we were suddenly at the car. “Marie, y’all get in the back.” The resistance to my belt was set free a
s the blonde helped the other girl climb inside. I opened the passenger door and eased Kaitlyn down. A mass of dark hair slid across her face as her head fell to the side, limp. My fingers pulled it back and I couldn’t help but stare. God, even pale and bruised, I couldn’t get over how gorgeous she was. The leather covering the back of my hand slid down her cheek. Protectiveness surged and something altogether unfamiliar joined in.

Rule two
—broken.

The moment my lips kissed her, I broke the no emotion rule. How, in the matter of an hour, had I turned my back on everything I knew?

Strands of her hair fell back into her face as I stood and shut the door. Questions poured into my mind. A mass of unknown queries all concerning the mystery of the captive who had landed in my lap in the most unexpected place. I hardly heard the engine turn over as I started the car and headed for the airport.

Kaitlyn Summers was starting to take me over. Even when I was shot at, she was on my mind. With each slice of my blade, all I could see was her own work. It fucking captivated me that she held what I did. Maybe it was only a response to her trauma, but I wasn’t so sure. Did it matter anyway? Aggravation
was all I felt as I passed the airport sign. It wasn’t like she was going to team up with me and we’d take out the bad guys together. I’d never allow her to put herself in danger that way. It had to be the strength the woman displayed. How hardcore she was wielding a knife. How she felt nothing afterward. Yes. Kaitlyn’s darkness was the perfect aphrodisiac for a monster like me.

“No.” Her frail voice had me turning toward the passenger side.
My hand left the wheel to reach out to her and the act had me hesitating. This wasn’t right. I had to stop before it was too late.

A shaky voice pulled me from my reverie. “Who are you?”

I glanced in the rearview mirror to see Marie holding onto the other girl. Her eyes were slightly widened. Scared. “You knew my name. Did my parents send you?”

I nodded. “Yes, Marie. Speaking of which, I need to give them a call.” What in the hell was my problem? I should have done this minutes ago.

The phone rested in one of the pockets on my belt and I took it out, turning it on. The signal was weak, but I needed to attempt it. I glanced through the contacts and hit their number. It was answered on the second ring.

“Hello.” The deep
Texas accent was laced with static. I took a deep breath, feeling a burst of accomplishment. This was what I looked forward to.

“Mr. Sinclair, this is Blake Morgan. I have Marie. We’re coming home.”

Silence was followed by a sob. “Oh, God.” More crying. “Thank you. God. Is she okay? Can I talk to her?”

I smiled. “Yeah, hold on.” My
arm reached back and she grabbed the phone from my hand so fast, it made me even happier.

“Daddy?” The word came out broken up between deep intakes of breath. “Daddy.” For the longest time she cried, repeating the word over and over. As we approached
, she seemed to calm. “Yes, I’m okay. Mr. Morgan saved us.” She got quiet as I pulled into the private airport. The main building was no bigger than the size of a two bedroom apartment. The parking lot was just as small. I threw the car in park and turned around.

“I need to talk to your dad, Marie. Tell him goodbye.”

The sadness drained the color from her face. “Daddy, I have to go. We’re at the airport. Okay. I love you, too.”

The phone was placed back in my palm and I brought it to my ear. I still had calls to make. Dammit. This was going to be a long night. “Mr. Sinclair, we’re about to board. I’ll call you when I have an estimated time of arrival.”

“Thank you. I mean that.” He was still crying. “I can never repay you for what you’ve done.”

“You’ve already paid more than enough. We’ll be home soon.” I hung up the phone and dialed my old partner’s number. He answered, his voice scratchy.
Shit, he hated when I woke him up. It had to be around noon, Houston time. No doubt he was working the night shift again.

“You better have a damn good reason for calling, Morgan.”

A laugh came from my mouth. “I do. I have three girls I’m about to take from Russia. Slaves, Jack. One’s French. She doesn’t speak English. The other is Marie Sinclair, the girl I was telling you about.” I looked toward Kaitlyn. Soft sounds were still coming from her and they made me feel queasy. Lord only knew what she was dreaming about. Whatever it was, I knew it wasn’t good. “The other is Kaitlyn Summers.”

“Why does that name sound familiar?” He paused. “The model on the news!”

Well, he was awake now. “Yeah, that one. She’s bad off. I need to get her to a hospital, but not until I reach the States. I’m about to pop her some antibiotics and Tylenol to try to hold her over, but I need you to do me a favor. The flight’s only a little over twelve hours. You’re going to have to cover me. I need you there, partner. I’ve bribed the customs guy here, but I’m over my head with a French girl once I get into Texas.”

“Shit, Morgan
,” he groaned. “You know I always help, but lately you’re really pushing things. I’ll see what I can do.”

I got out and walked around to the passenger side. “Thanks, Jack. I owe you one.”

“No you don’t, and you know it.” The line disconnected and I pushed the phone into my pocket. Jack would take care of things. He always did.

Kaitlyn moaned as I lifted her from the seat. The other two girls were already waiting and didn’t hesitate to follow me into the building. Javier, the co-pilot, looked like shit, but
was definitely ready.

“Christian says we’re good to go. Just waiting on you.”

“What the hell are you doing out here, then? Let’s go.” I walked faster, glancing behind me to check on how the girls were doing. Aside from weary, they looked okay. Unlike the one in my arms. The fever was making her hot as hell. The walk had taken too much out of her. This was not how I wanted to leave Russia. I feared Marie would be sick, but she looked remarkably well aside from the slight bruising on her cheek. Even the French girl appeared in good health. Kaitlyn, on the other hand, was getting worse by the minute.

I bounded up the steps to my plane. Since
I was a child, I had hated the money I was born into. My parents loved showing it off. Me, I was raised to work for what I wanted. The fortune I had in the bank since I was twenty-five had never been touched until I found my calling. Unless I was helping slaves, it didn’t get used. Even in my everyday life, the decent house, the motorcycle, it all existed from the money I received for saving the girls. And that wasn’t a fortune. I only took what the families could afford. If they couldn’t and I had enough information, I went and got them at my own expense.

My life was yin and yang. Half charitable,
half pure sadistic fucking killer. The contrast was startling, even to myself. But I knew what I wanted, and when I made up my mind, there were no excuses. I took what was mine. Right or wrong. If anyone thought I gave a shit about rules or laws, they didn’t know me. Not that anyone really did. They only saw what I wanted them to. Either the good, former detective, slave saver…or the monster that was there to cut them to shreds. The medium ground, to most, wasn’t acceptable. Behind closed doors was my mix, and that leaned way more toward beast than nice guy. Most women couldn’t handle it. And they’d yet to see what I really wanted to unleash on them. The thought had my eyes lowering to the slave in my arms. How deep did Kaitlyn’s darkness run? I was a bastard for wanting to find out.

The warmth from inside the plane made me break out into an instant sweat as I imagined her staring up at me, passion etched deep into her face. The fantasy died instantly. What the fuck was I doing? The sudden flashes left me feeling claustrophobic. She had been a slave. How much of a bastard was I? Hadn’t she been hurt enough? And here I was
, wanting to introduce her to the real me. Yeah, fucking right.

I took a seat in the plush, leather lounger and rested Kaitlyn against my lap while I maneuvered my hands around to take off my jacket. If these other girls weren’t here
, I would have probably stripped off my sweater, but Marie was only seventeen. My stomach turned the moment I took a good look at the French girl. It was as I suspected. In the bright light, she appeared even younger.

“
Quel est votre nom?”
What is your name?
Although I could speak her language, I was anything but fluent.

Big brown eyes got wider at my question. “Nadine Moreau.”

“Âge?” 
Age?

“Douze, Sir.”

My jaw tightened. “Twelve. Shit.” The lack of brutality I served up to those men was going to haunt me for years. A little girl. God dammit. She’d never be the same after this. “Nous allons vous revenir à vos parents, Nadine.”
We’re going to get you back to your parents, Nadine.

Marie curled on one of the white leather loveseats, pulling Nadine close again. Within minutes
, we were taking off. The moment we were in the air, I shifted. “Marie, I have to take Kaitlyn to the back. I have a bed there. She needs to rest and I need to get her some medicine. Will you and Nadine be all right up here by yourselves for a while?”

She nodded her head and I flipped on the flat screen, handing her the remote. “There’s movies you can look through.” I pointed to the small fridge. “Water and food. Help yourselves to whatever you want.”

“Thank you, Mr. Morgan.” The frail voice was barely heard as I carried Kaitlyn to the back. The door swung open at my push and I looked around the room. Dark blue silk covered the bed and there was the good size TV just to my left. The luxuries were nice, but I’d never paid attention before now. For some reason, I wanted the best for her.

The comforter was slightly cool as I lowered her
onto the mattress. Dark hair spanned across the pillows. Instead of it being silky smooth like I knew it could be, knots were thick and it was a bit frizzy. Pity. I bet she looked even more amazing clean and cared for.

“Kaitlyn.” Gently, I shook her. Nothing.

An adjoining restroom stood to the right and I walked in, opening one of the cabinets along the back wall. I took out a bottle of Amoxicillin and some Tylenol. Shit, I hoped she wasn’t allergic to Penicillin. Thousands of feet in the air, that would not be good.

Water
bottles filled the small fridge in the corner. I took one, twisting it open. “Kaitlyn.” Even called louder, she didn’t budge. My hand tapped against her face, causing the slightest amount of awareness. “Come on, baby. Open your eyes. I need you to wake up.”

A groan left her mouth. “I’m cold
,” she whispered.

“I know, sweetie, and I’ll warm you up soon enough, but I need you to take this medicine for me. You’re sick. We need you better. This will help.”

My hand came to her forehead and I couldn’t believe how hot she’d gotten in the small amount of time. “Kaitlyn, come on.” A cry came from her mouth as I pulled her to a sitting position. Bloodshot eyes peered up at me, sleepily. While she was awake, I needed to get this medicine in her. “Not allergic to Penicillin, are you?”

“No.” She blinked, her
lids nearly staying shut. “Blake.”

“Yes, Kaitlyn?” I took the opportunity of her mouth being open to push the pills in and bring the water to her cracked lips. “Tell me what you want to say after you take those.”

She swallowed and her eyes rolled back for the briefest moment before she blinked them back straight. “Am I dying?”

Just the thought had me shaking my head. Not because I wasn’t sure, but because imagining her death when I’d only just met her was unacceptable. “No, you’re not going anywhere but home. Well, technically you’re going to the hospital first, but then you’re going back to where you live. You should be happy about that, right?”

What looked to be a laugh tried to surface. “Yeah. Sure.” The agreement was laced with sarcasm. Confusion had me trying to read the multiple expressions that crossed her face.

“You don’t want to go home?”

Kaitlyn eased back onto the mattress, never answering. While I stared down, I couldn’t stop my mind from trying to figure her out her response. Where did she live? Was it nice? Some fancy penthouse where she dazzled all of her other model friends? I stiffened. Boyfriend? Someone more serious? No one appeared on the news, but maybe they weren’t public. Or maybe he was a piece of shit and didn’t want to be broadcasted to the world.

Anger enflamed my being at the very thought. I would have fucking pleaded if it meant the safe return of Kaitlyn. She was worth it. That, and so much more.