His to Take (Wicked Lovers #9)(18)
Author: Shayla Black

“I know you think I’m crazy,” he whispered. “Give me time to change your mind.”

When he reached out and uncuffed her wrists, Bailey didn’t dare refute him. Slowly, he helped her lower her arms to her sides, massaging as the blood rushed back. His touch zipped through her, hot and electric. Powerfully frightening. God, what was wrong with her?

Bailey recoiled. She’d always had bad taste in men, but she refused to stoop so low as to admit her attraction to him. “I got it. Don’t—” She tried to scramble away from him. “Don’t touch me.”

He lifted his hands up in a gesture of surrender and stepped up, off the bed. “I only meant to help, but . . . The bathroom is through that door.” He pointed somewhere behind her and to her left. “Before you get excited, the window in there is covered by bars, too. Otherwise, you’re free to roam this room. I’ll bring you some books and magazines in a bit.”

With a pivot, he turned his back to her. She couldn’t stay here and wait for him to convince her of his lunacy.

Instinct kicked in. This might be her best chance to escape.

Bailey eased off the bed and crept to one of the shelves near the window, grabbed a heavy wooden statue from its shelf, then tiptoed behind him.

As soon as he unlocked the door and opened it, she rose up on her tiptoes and lifted her arm soundlessly. Normally, she’d never be able to hit anyone. But this was life-or-death.

He whirled suddenly and gripped her wrist in his unyielding hold. She couldn’t move as his eyes burned into hers.

“Sweetheart, I’ve worked as an undercover agent fighting some of the most dangerous people in the world longer than you’ve been legal. Did you really think you were going to surprise me?”

His mocking question made her feel small, helpless. She hated him for that. “Let me go.”

He grabbed the wooden block from her hand, then released her. “Nice try. By the way, the name your biological parents gave you when you were born was Tatiana. You were Viktor Aslanov’s youngest daughter.”

Then he was gone, the door secured with a sturdy click behind him. Bailey stared, gaped, rooted in place. Could any of what he claimed actually be true?

Chapter Four

THE moment Joaquin let himself out the bedroom door, Mitchell Thorpe, Dominion’s owner, stood, blocking the hall with one sharp brow raised. His stare censured. Despite the man’s impeccable suit, Joaquin was pretty sure Thorpe could be a badass. Since he’d had a really long few days without a lot of sleep—and no peace whatsoever—he didn’t need the other man’s shit.

“I appreciate that you’re in a difficult position.” Thorpe adjusted a cuff link. “As soon as I heard screaming coming from my bedroom, I called Logan. He explained your situation a bit more in depth. I allowed you to come here because the Edgington brothers vouched for you and I was given to understand that you were protecting the potential target of a killer, not abducting a woman. Club Dominion maintains a strictly consensual environment. You can’t keep that woman here against her will.”

Joaquin swallowed, fighting frustration and dread. “I get that you don’t want anyone shining a light on this place or trying to shut you down, but—”

“I have enough of those problems already. Both the evangelists and the asexual lobbying to end my club are apparently either not acquainted with orgasm or afraid of it, so . . .”

A hundred tactics ran through Joaquin’s head. He finally settled on the truth. “She’s in shock. I’d hoped that once I jogged her memory a little, she’d remember the past. Even though she admitted she has nightmares about the night her family was murdered, she’s adamant that she’s not Tatiana Aslanov. I need time. If I let her loose now, it won’t be long before whoever is doing the hideous work for these bastards will catch her. Did Logan tell you how they’re torturing these women?”

“You want to keep her safe. It’s admirable. But I can’t have her here against her will.” His stance softened slightly. “Are you sure she’s Aslanov’s daughter?”

“I’ve got the right woman. She even dreams about the house in the snow and the couple who found her wandering the side of the road. I need a few days to convince her and find out what she knows.” Thorpe still looked skeptical. “What if these bastards were still after Callie?”

“Why does everyone use Callie against me?” Thorpe’s expression thundered with anger. “Leave my submissive out of this.”

Joaquin tossed up his hands. “She was ass deep in this mess for nearly a decade. You know just as well as I do that if they’d gotten their hands on her, they would have tortured—”