Beautiful Captivity (The Club #1) (9 page)

HIM

…

They came to take me away before she woke. I hate thinking about what he’s doing to her. I tell myself I have to let it go, that she may have to do something with someone else to get us out of this, but the thought kills me. I don’t want anyone else with her. The jealousy drives me. She’s supposed to be mine.

Rage that stems from the jealousy moves my body, as I approach the door. It’s steel, which is impenetrable, but I’m not bound or trapped. I just need a way out of this room. I look around me, trying to find anything – a vent, a window – but there is nothing.

When the door opens and he enters, I consider killing him and going for her, but I know he is not the only one in this place. I need to cooperate, to let them think I will comply, so that I can get back to Nichole, and so that we can be free.

The first thing he does is tell me to sit. When we do, he leans across the table, placing his fingers in my face.

“You are not the only one who can make her wet,” he says, and it’s all I can do not to snap his neck.

“What do you want?” I ask.

“I want her to earn her worth, as I have explained. And I want you to do your job. There has been enough of this foolish idea of love. You were hired to do something and you will do it. She was brought in to us for something, and she will do it. Do you understand?”

“And if we don’t?”

“I will tear her apart. I will make you watch as I fuck her so hard, her body breaks under me. I will make her suffer, and I will enjoy it. And then as you watch me hurt her, as you see me take what makes her so special to you, I will kill her. And I will enjoy every moment of it.”

“You’re sick,” I tell him.

“You didn’t have such moral outrage with all the others. Her pussy might taste wonderful. It might be tight and sweet, but she’s a fucking toy, like the rest of
them. Enough with this idea of her as anything but a receptacle for men with far more power and money than you and even I can dream of. She exists for one reason, and that is to serve them. And we serve them by providing what they desire.”

“She’s more than that.”

He hits me and it stings. It’s a warning, not an attack, but it still hurts. “No. She is not. And she does not belong to you.”

…

After he’s gone, I explore the room further. There has to be something to help us, to help her.

He is wrong. She does belong to me. When I think of her body against mine, of her trust as I hit her and the sounds of pleasure as she submitted to me, I know she will only belong to me. I told her it was worth risking
it, that we should go back, that she could do it and it was just physical. But smelling her on his fingers made me realize that I will die to protect her. That no man will ever be where I belong, that no man will do anything to her against her will.

When the door opens and the younger guy comes in to bring me water, I don’t hesitate. I hit him, hard, and take his keys before locking him in the room. I know it wasn’t necessarily his fault, and I also know I don’t have much time, but Nichole needs me and I need to save her.

The building is huge and all the rooms look the same. I try to recreate the steps we took when they brought me here, but it’s tough to do while also trying to escape notice. Somehow, I end up back in the hallway where she is. I don’t know which room she’s in – and I don’t know if they have anyone in the other rooms – but I’m willing to break into every room if I need to.

The problem is also the chains and I don’t know if they keys on the ring I’m carrying will open the locks. I need something else, preferably something to cut through them, but finding it without being caught is worrisome. I see one man walking back and forth by one of the rooms. If I can sneak up on him…

Sadly, my thought is cut off when he sees me. I don’t have time, and I don’t think. I run to him before he can call for help, and I choke him until he falls to the ground. I think he’s merely unconscious, but there isn’t time to wait to find out. I take his key ring, too, hoping that between the two, I will be able to get Nichole free.

I fumble until I find the keys and then I open the door. She’s awake and she looks scared, chained to the bed. I have to resist the desire to kiss her, to hold her, to make sure she knows she can trust me, because she looks so sweet and innocent.

“We need to get out of here,” I tell her.

“But you said it wasn’t safe,” she argues.

“It isn’t, but I will die before someone hurts you, before another man touches you.”

I approach the bed and go through the keys looking for something to free her legs. Fortunately I find it within a few minutes and I get her legs free. She stares at me.

“Ky put his fingers in me,” she says.

I fight back the rage, the red haze that takes over, and I smile at her. I run my hand between her legs, flicking her clit, and then kissing along her thighs. I slip my tongue inside of her pussy, quickly, just to remind her who she belongs to.

“I told you, Nichole. You’re mine.”

She sighs and nods. I unbind her hands and help her from the bed. We look for anything to dress her in and I find a light dress, which doesn’t cover much, but it will have to do. Then, I take her hand, and I lead her out of this dark place.

Her

…

I don’t know where he plans to go, or how he plans to get out, but I follow, because I trust him. Zane is my life, my love, and I know he’ll save me. He leads me through corridors and down a few flights of stairs. A few times, we have to duck into corners or behind things to avoid being noticed, but the escape isn’t really the hard part. The hard part is what comes next.

The warehouse where we are being kept is on an island in the river, and there is
no visible way off the island. There has to be a tunnel somewhere, since they drove us here, but I don’t see it. Zane looks around, but neither of us can find it. He shrugs and leads me to the edge of the lot that encircles the building.

“Can you swim?” he asks.

“In the river?”

I think of the pollution, of what could be in the river, but then I think of the alternative. I look at him and nod, and then dive in. It’s an impossible swim, especially given the weakness I feel after being chained, but something drives me, something pushes me. We are not as far from the mainland as I thought, but it’s still painful. I’m starting to cramp up, just as the end is in sight, but Zane helps me. He stays by my side and, soon, we are both lying in the dirt by the edge of the river.

It’s disgusting. There is broken glass everywhere, trash, needles, some old tires… but it’s freedom and I feel happy.

End of Part One