Hope Restrained (Estate Series) (2 page)

She blinked slowly at his words.

Stepping out of the house, Hope calmly shut the door behind
her and stepped out into the shadowed woods that led to the mansion at the
center of the compound.

“Mr. Black, the decorator has arrived to tour the west wing.
Shall I have one of the maids show her around?”

Xander looked up from the book he had laid out across the
table. Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, he opened his sapphire
blue eyes to look at the face of a lower guard. “No.” Irritation saturated his
exhaled breath. “She’s early, isn’t she?”

The guard shrugged his shoulders in response. Rolling his
eyes, Xander waved him away, annoyed with the daily bullshit he had to endure
in his position within The Estate. It had been two years since Joseph’s death
— two years that they’d worked to destroy the habits and tastes for
hedonism and depravity that had been built by Joseph’s insanity. However,
progress was slow. There was no quick remedy to dismantling a network as
extensive as the one in which they’d been raised. And for those two years,
Xander had taken over running the staff within the building, keeping a tight
hold and constant watch over every person who had access to Aaron and Maddy.

Standing up, he rolled his shoulders back and walked out
into the stone floored hallways. Finally reaching the foyer, his eyes met with
the petite woman who’d been hired to refurbish the west wing of the mansion
that had sat barren and empty since Joseph was killed. Over the years,
fabricated rumors and stories spread through the mansion of ghosts walking the
wing, a belief that Joseph had never really left when his body had been burned.

It was bullshit. Complete lunacy that Xander had attempted
to disregard until it became impossible to ignore the whispers in the hallways,
the quick change of subject when he approached a group of men. Aaron found the
rumors humorous, shrugging them off with no regard; but Xander felt that the
time had come to put them to rest.

Approaching the woman, he noticed how her entire body
stilled in his presence. She appeared nervous and frightened. With her long
brown hair, shorter stature and hourglass figure, she resembled Maddy. If he
didn’t know already that Maddy was an only child, he wouldn’t have been
surprised to find that they were sisters. He instantly felt warmth towards the
woman, if for nothing more than her striking resemblance to the woman who had
pulled Aaron from the depths of his darkness.

“Welcome to The Estate, Ms. … ?”

“Oh!” Her voice was at an unusually high octave and she
cleared her throat quickly before continuing. “… I apologize, um, my name is
Erica. ‘Ms.’ is reserved for women far older than me.”

A smile tugged at his lips and he nodded his understanding. “Of
course, Erica. Thank you for coming on such short notice, our other decorator
had an emergency and could not complete the job. We would have been in a bit of
a bind if it hadn’t been for you.”

A blush spread over her cheeks. “Really, it was no problem. I
was available.”

Xander offered his arm, and once Erica had accepted, he led
her up the corridor to the ballroom. The doors groaned as they were opened and
she tripped over the transition in the flooring.

Steadying her, Xander asked, “Are you okay?”

Her green eyes were wide when she looked up at him and he
noticed how gold flecks added depth to the color. “I am. I … I apologize. I’m a
bit nervous in your presence. Aaron and you are very well known throughout the
city. I assumed another staff member would be showing me around.”

 
He attempted to
appear genial. The last thing he needed was for this one to meet with an
unfortunate
accident
like the
previous three. Although, for the most part, the halls, apartments and common
areas had been cleared, every once in a while a surprise was hidden beneath a
rug or within a wall. Pictures and other evidence of the activities within the
corridors had been found. Typically, they were discovered in an area within
which the decorator had not been permitted. Xander had to take action to
prevent the information from causing any future issues.

“Yes, well, there are very specific instructions for your
position. I like to ensure that you are completely aware of my expectations and
rules. If any of them are broken once I’m confident that you know them, I won’t
feel as bad for having to order your termination.” He smiled.

By the expression on her face, it was apparent she hadn’t
missed the veiled threat. When they approached the door, his chest rubbed up
against her back as he reached to open the door for her. She jumped in
response.

Lowering his head close enough that his breath could brush
across her cheek, he said, “I apologize, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Chuckling,
he pulled away and motioned for her to walk into the wing. She stared at him
before finally shaking herself of whatever emotion had overtaken her and walked
forward, the sound of her heels clicking throughout the empty halls.

“I don’t have much time to give you the tour, so I will
allow you to wander certain areas on your own. The commons areas and apartments
down the first four hallways are yours to do with as you will. Any rooms beyond
the fourth hallway and the master suite located at the end of the hall are
strictly off limits.” His voice grew louder when he stressed those last words.

She turned to him, confusion furrowing her brow. “Why not
complete the entire wing?”

His eyes locked to hers when he instructed, “Do not ask
questions. Operate within the limits I’ve given you and do not break my rules. I’m
certain you will not like the results.”

Shock was evident in her reaction, but eventually, she
appeared to accept his conditions and he smiled in response. “Good. A guard
will be waiting for you by the main doors to the ballroom. You have two hours
to do whatever preliminary tasks you require. After that time, I’m afraid you
will need to leave. If you have any questions, the guard can take you to a
person who can assist.”

Reaching out, he took her shaky hands within his. “Please,
try not to be nervous while in the mansion. I’m aware of the reputation of The
Estate within the city and I can promise you, we are not as dangerous as some
believe. As long as you comply with the rules set for you, there will be no
problems.”

She smiled. He noticed how her eyes twinkled up at him, and
he could feel how her pulse raced beneath her skin. “You have very pretty eyes,
Erica.” Her uneasy smile brightened, her cheeks once again blushed red.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other matters to which I
must attend.”

Pivoting on his heel, he walked quickly to exit the wing,
knowing without having to look back that she continued staring at him as he
left.

~
   
~
   
~

“Isn’t this the third decorator?”

“The fourth.”

Aaron’s head swiveled up to look at Xander from the papers
splayed across the surface on his desk. Chuckling, he commented, “Do I even
want to know what happened to the last one?”

“You don’t.”

Nodding his understanding, Aaron stood up from his desk to
cross the room and exit into the living room of his suite. “It doesn’t matter. I
trust that you have the staff under tight control. Regardless, we have far more
pressing issues to handle. Specifically, tonight’s meeting.”

Sitting down in one of the wing-backed chairs by the desk,
Xander settled in, exhausted already. “How in the hell did Joseph and Emory
have time for dealing with the daily bullshit with this place and still have
time to destroy so many lives?”

Aaron chuckled. “My father was a very intelligent man,
Xander. Never forget that. I’m sure it was more than the two of them running
the show. Unfortunately, they’ve all been killed, so we’ll have to work a
little harder to catch up. Now, as I was saying, tonight’s meeting will be
difficult. Regarding the unit causing problems within the network, I haven’t
been able to precisely identify who it is. Have your sources come up with
anything?”

Xander rubbed at his tired eyes. “No. But there are rumors
that women are being brought onto the compound once again. We’ve visited each
house on the compound and haven’t yet found anything.”

Leaning against the wall, Aaron eyed his guard warily. “Who
is performing the searches?”

“Jason’s unit and Patrick’s unit. I’m sure both men are very
thorough. I’ve run a few searches myself — much to the chagrin of the
unit leaders, I should add. They are not pleased with the changes we’ve made. Keeping
them in check has been a full time job lately.”

“Well, they are criminals. I intend to announce some more
changes tonight. I expect that whoever is the cause behind the recent rumors
will be obviously distraught with my announcements. I want you to keep an eye
open and note the reaction of the men in the room.”

Xander nodded. “We only have a short time before we need to
be in there, is Cricket getting ready?”

Aaron shook his head in amusement. “She’s going to slaughter
you one of these days for referring to her with that nickname. She’s in the
back room. You should go get her. I need to go through some documents once more
before starting tonight’s meeting.”

After standing from his chair, Xander quickly exited the
room, crossed the living room and entered the corridor leading to Aaron and
Maddy’s bedroom. “Cricket! It’s almost time for tonight’s meeting, are you dressed?”

Even though he’d seen her naked countless times when she’d
been a slave, over the two years that they’d taken control of The Estate, he’d
made it a habit of granting her modesty. Not that he minded. She’d become a
little sister to him and he had no desire to see her naked.

“Xander! Come here please. I need your help.”

Entering the room, his eyes fell on her small frame as she
reached around attempting to button the back of her dress. Her face was
scrunched in concentration and he laughed at the sight of it. “Problems?”

Dramatically lowering her arms, Maddy scowled up at him to
see the humor in his expression. “I understand that Aaron wants to shower me in
everything
luxurious
, but does it
have to be so hard to put on?”

Approaching her, Xander spun his finger indicating for her
to turn around. His fingers worked quickly over the buttons until, finally, the
red silk dress hung perfectly over her small frame. “Even if the dress is
difficult, you look absolutely stunning wearing it. I’m not sure how Aaron
handles parading you in front of the network.”

Smiling shyly, she responded, “He’d kill any man that
touched me and they all know it. Sometimes I suspect he hopes for someone to
make the attempt. I don’t condone the darkness in him Xander, but I believe it
builds up when he hasn’t had an opportunity to feed it. He needs an outlet
— one far darker than I can provide.”

Xander’s face softened in understanding. “He was the
executioner for a long time, Cricket. It’s how he was raised. Some habits are
difficult to let go, especially when they are enjoyable.” Grabbing her chin, he
tilted her sorrowful face up. “But you are his light — eventually, you
will drive out every shadowed corner that exists within him.”

Her blue eyes sparkled. “Thank you.” Shaking herself free of
his hold, she added, “Now stop calling me Cricket.”

She turned to exit the door into the corridor and he
chuckled behind her. “Never.”

Reaching the living room, Xander saw that Aaron stood by the
front doors ready to leave for the ballroom. Aaron waited for Xander and Maddy
to take their positions at his back.

“Maddy, I want you to remain close to me or Xander for the
evening. I fear I’m about to upset a number of people. For your safety, I don’t
want you to wander far.” Aaron looked back at her, his face soft despite the
sternness of warning.

She smiled back at him, her cheeks highlighted in pink when
she answered, “Of course — Master.”

Aaron’s lips twitched from a threatened smile before he
turned to exit the room and move down the corridors.

As usual, when they entered the ballroom, a hushed silence
fell over the large group of men who were seated at tables throughout the
space. Aaron nodded in the direction of the group acknowledging the men, and
turned to climb the stairs to the stage. Maddy followed, her face directed
downward, still mimicking the role that she’d been abducted to play. When they’d
reached the top step, Maddy’s long dress bunched under her foot, tripping her. Aaron
turned instantly, both he and Xander crouching down in their attempt to catch her.
The sick crunch that sounded behind them preceded the floors of the stage
shaking when the guard’s body hit the ground.

Instantly looking up, Xander noticed blood seeping from the
man’s head. He turned to immediately look out over the audience. A black
clothed figure moved rapidly within the shadows of the room and, without
hesitation, Xander pushed up to chase him towards the doors of the west wing. Every
other man froze in shock where they stood and the room was quiet except for the
sounds of Xander’s boots thundering against the ground. His heart hammered
against his chest — a mixture of rage and urgency. How the fuck did this
guy get into the mansion?

The man disappeared through the doors just as Xander crossed
the room, blowing past the closing doors before they latched closed. The rapid
beat to his heavy steps echoed through the emptied halls, the figure still
within his sights. When they reached the fifth hallway, the man he chased
appeared confused, looking right and left, in search of the exit. He went left
and Xander smiled knowing he’d chosen a dead end.

Rounding the corner, Xander slowed his pace, walking past
each door, reaching out to ensure they were still locked. Behind him, he could
hear as more men tore into the hallway, their steps beating against the ground
in their haste. When Xander rounded the final corner, the bone of his jaw
cracked with the force of the intruders fist. The man drew a gun, holding it to
Xander’s head just as three blasts sounded from the interior of the corridor.