Title:   Retreat

Author:   Mari Carr

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An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Retreat

ISBN 9781419919022

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Retreat Copyright © 2008 Mari Carr

Edited by Kelli Kwiatkowski.

Cover art by Dar Albert.

Electronic book Publication November 2008

The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.  (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

R

ETREAT

Mari Carr

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Chevy Blazer: General Motors Corporation

CSI

: CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

Food Lion: FL Food Lion, Inc.

Hallmark Channel: Crown Media

Harry Potter: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

Jack Daniel’s: Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc.

James Bond: Danjaq LLC and United Artists Corporation

Ken: Mattel, Inc.

Oscar: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Corporation

Post-it: 3M Company

Rambo: Studio Canal Image S.A.

The Andy Griffith Show

: CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

Retreat

Chapter One

“I’m retired.”

“I know that, Jon, and believe me, I wouldn’t be here if there was any other way.”

Jon Walker sighed, turning his back on his former boss, Reilly—his mentor, his conscience and the bane of his existence the last fifteen years.

Walking around his desk, he glanced out the window of his classroom at the beautiful autumn afternoon. The students had gone home for the day, yet reminders of their presence could be still be seen as he stood amidst the skewed rows of desks, forgotten books and scattered love notes left behind. He tried to rekindle the feeling of contentment he’d felt an hour earlier, before Reilly crash-landed back into his life. Since being hired a year ago as a senior English teacher, he’d never stopped relishing the idea that he had finally found his niche in life.

And now, five years after his retirement from the Undercover Intelligence Agency, he was being dragged back into the hell he’d barely escaped with his life and sanity intact. Jon had given ten years of his life to the UIA, a government-sanctioned organization known only to those in Washington with the highest level of security clearance. The UIA—unlike its sister agencies—operated on both home and foreign soil, gathering information and diffusing difficult situations by any means necessary. By any means.

“No.” He could already feel the invisible bonds he thought he’d severed, tightening around his chest like a vise.

“Jon,” Reilly said softly, “just hear me out.”

“Dammit Reilly!” He turned quickly, striding back to his ex-boss to point an angry finger in his face. “There is nothing you can say that would change my mind. I’m done with that life. Done! Do you hear me? This is where I belong now. This is where I want to be.”

“The cult is back,” Reilly whispered.

And with those four words, he felt his blood run cold. “That’s impossible. Rex is dead. He’s been dead for three years and he was rotting in a prison cell a dozen years prior to that. There’s no one left who would—”

“No one?” Reilly posed his statement as a question, though he knew it was merely rhetorical. They both knew there was another.

“Cassandra?” Jon read Reilly’s chagrined expression and shook his head in denial.

“My mother? You’re crazy. Cassandra barely escaped with her freedom last time. She would never, I mean… Christ Reilly, what could she possibly hope to gain?”

“What did Cassie ever hope to gain? Money, power, sex.”

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Mari Carr

He felt a cold laugh pass his lips. “You better hope she never hears you calling her

‘Cassie’. Sort of like uttering Voldemort in Hogwarts.”

Reilly didn’t share his laughter, but Jon continued anyway. “Only thing she hates worse than being called ‘Cassie’ is ‘Mother’.” Jon shook his head and walked back to the windows. “Find someone else.”

“I have,” Reilly answered coolly. “Unfortunately, this mission calls for a team.”

“Night? You’ve signed

Night up for this?”

His mentor smirked. “Actually, he signed himself up.”

“Fuck that!” Jon exploded with a pent-up anger he’d spent years struggling to keep under control. “Un-sign him, Reilly. He’s my best friend. You can’t send him back to that.”

“Night was no fan of Cassie. You know that, Jon.”

He knew the man’s words were true and he was hard-pressed not to admit to the same disdain. If a more egocentric and cold-hearted woman than Cassandra Walker existed, he hoped to hell he never met her. Simply knowing Cassandra still lived as a free woman, rather than locked up behind bars, was enough to drive him insane. God help her if they ever met on the street because he wasn’t sure he would be able to keep himself from committing matricide.

Reilly remained quiet for a few moments, obviously attempting to give him a chance to digest the unsavory news he’d just delivered. He studied his mentor’s face and discovered the stress of Reilly’s job was finally catching up to him, noting the deep-

set lines around his mouth and eyes that had not been so pronounced when he left the agency. A deep crease between his worried eyes told Jon his former boss spoke the truth. Reilly felt no pleasure in dragging him back into the cesspool of his younger life.

“It doesn’t make any sense.” He crossed the room and sat in one of the student desks, resting his head in his hands.

“None of the sick shit Cassie ever pulled made sense, Jon.” Reilly stood behind the podium at the front of the room. If Jon hadn’t been so angry, he would have been amused by how easily they reverted back to their natural states. For nearly half his life, the man standing before him had been his teacher. Whether the lessons involved how to fire an AK-47, how to break into an impenetrable fortress or even how to control his hot-blooded temper, Reilly never stopped instructing him.

“Why now?” He was genuinely perplexed by Reilly’s news. “Rex has been dead for years. Cassandra made a clean break from the Commitment Church and if your sources are correct, she managed to abscond with more than a lion’s share of the money. She’s an incredibly wealthy woman. Besides which, you and I both know she never bought into Rex’s religious mumbo jumbo.”

“I can’t tell you why, Jon. Only that she has moved back up on the mountain and she’s reorganizing. Night’s doing a bit of reconnaissance up there already. He could probably tell you more about the specifics of what’s happening.”

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“Take him off the case.”

“No. And he wouldn’t thank you for asking me to. He’s still one of my top operatives and this case is priority one. No one at the bureau wants a repeat of the last time.”

“Dammit. I know Night. He may seem cool as a cucumber on the outside, but I

know what this case will do to him. He can’t go back there.”

“Are you sure it’s Night who can’t go back, Jon? It sounds to me like it’s you who can’t face it all again.”

“I didn’t drag him out of that godforsaken place only to have you drag him back in!”

“You dragged him out?” Reilly’s usually calm voice rose slightly. “That’s funny. I

remember it a slightly different way. I seem to recall Night dragging you out.”

Any response he could have given to Reilly’s astute comment seemed to become lodged in the ever-growing lump in his throat. He was saved from having to acknowledge Reilly’s comment when his mentor spoke again.

“Why did you come back here?” Reilly asked, shocking him with the abrupt change in topic.

“What?”

“I’ve never understood why you returned here. You could have settled anywhere in the world. Why here? You never considered this place your home and after all that happened on that mountain, I would think this would be the last place on earth you’d set up housekeeping.”

Jon sighed. He had asked himself the same question every day since returning to this sleepy southern town. He wasn’t sure there was an answer. When he’d retired from the agency and returned to college to get his degree in English education—always in the back of his mind—he knew this was where he would settle down to teach.

Penance, perhaps? For a decade, he and Night had dedicated themselves to the agency, to ridding the world of villains like Rex Thomas. When he’d felt too tired to continue to do that job to the best of his ability, he’d turned to teaching. But the cult of his childhood had played a role in every decision of his adult life and coming back here was no different.

Apparently deciding he wasn’t going to answer his question, Reilly changed the subject again. “Regardless of your feelings on the matter, the fact remains your mother is operating some sort of underground organization again. Back up on that mountain.”

Reilly pointed out the window of the classroom and Jon’s eyes followed the line to the colorful mountain range that served as the backdrop to his lessons every school day.

“Christ.” Jon ran his hands through his shaggy black hair. He needed to get it trimmed but hadn’t found the time. His nights were spent planning lessons and grading writing assignments—a pastime others would consider dull in the extreme, but which appealed to him greatly. He was tired of a life lived on the razor-sharp edge of a

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Mari Carr blade, every minute spent in the struggle to kill or be killed. He couldn’t go back to that—regardless of the fact this case wasn’t simply a case, but his past coming back to haunt him once again. “I can’t help you.”

“Jon—”

Jon’s temper got the best of him again and he felt his grip on calmness slip away.

“No, don’t. Don’t say another damn word. I’ve said no and I won’t change my mind.”

“Do you think I wanted to come back here? To disturb this life you’ve created? I’ve never wanted you to have anything else, but how can you close your eyes to what’s happening? What will happen? The seventeen-year-old boy I pulled out of that rubble would never turn his back—”

“Enough! I’m not him! Not anymore.” He rose, stalked to his teacher’s desk and pounded his hand on the hard surface in frustration as the door to his classroom opened.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” a soft voice said from the hallway. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Carly.” Jon crossed the room to where she hovered just outside the door.

Carly James, the school secretary, was the first friend he’d made after returning to

Westchester to teach at Lowell High School. The cute brunette had caught his eye on his first day at his new job. She simply walked up to him, introduced herself and in twenty mind-boggling minutes, gave him such a thorough and accurate overview of his new place of employment he was surprised she wasn’t working for the UIA.

“I wanted to see if you were going to the football game tonight, but I can see you’re busy,” she said.

“No, I’m not busy at all,” Jon replied smoothly, despite the fact he felt as if his two worlds were colliding and he was helpless to stop it. “Carly James, this is Mr. Reilly, my, uh, my…” As far as Carly was concerned, he’d spent the first decade of his adult life working in advertising. After growing bored with that, he’d decided to become a teacher. His personnel file confirmed that lie.

“Old colleague from his advertising days,” Reilly finished as Jon watched him produce the charming grin that came easily to the old man when in the presence of beautiful women. Reilly—whose age was a mystery to Jon—could still turn the ladies’

heads. At six foot five, the man was a towering presence with salt and pepper hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed to laser straight through anyone who stood in his way.

In the past, Jon had emulated that same cocky smile, but seeing it flashed for Carly’s benefit left him feeling like smashing a fist into his mentor’s face.

Shocked by his response, Jon cleared his throat. “Carly is the secretary here.”

“Secretary?” Reilly reached over to take her outstretched hand. Rather than return her intended handshake, he raised her hand and placed a light kiss on the knuckles. Jon could see his romance-reading friend was entranced by the gesture. “Any chance I

could steal you away? I’m looking for a new secretary.”

“Are you really?” she asked.

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Retreat

“No, but I could be,” Reilly teasingly answered.

She laughed at his corny joke and again, Jon felt an irrational streak of jealousy attack. “Careful, old man, she’s young enough to be your daughter. Wouldn’t want you to have a heart attack.”

“Jon!” she chastised, clearly surprised by his sudden rudeness.

“Oh, don’t mind him, Ms. James. Or is it Mrs. James?” Reilly’s interest in Carly was now fully engaged thanks to Jon’s revealing, if foolish, comment.

“Ms. I’m divorced.”

“I see.”

Jon sensed the undertones in his mentor’s short response. Clearly, the only person in the room unaware of his less-than-platonic interest in Carly was Carly herself.

Her divorce became final the summer he was hired. When he had first arrived, he’d wanted a simple life devoid of complications, and she’d offered that. Over the past year, they’d filled a void in each other’s lives. He was her handyman, spending a couple

Saturdays a month helping with the repairs that never seemed to run out in her old house. When he needed help typing up a test—a skill he’d never mastered—she would do it for him. However, lately he’d found his feelings for her moving beyond simple friendship, despite the fact she seemed content with their “best friends” status.

“I can see you have plans for the evening.” Reilly interrupted his thoughts. “I’ll give you time to consider my proposal and touch base with you later.”

“Proposal?” she asked.

“Property he’s selling,” Jon lied smoothly. “He has some land he thought I might be interested in buying and he invited me to drive out and take a look at it.”

Carly’s eyes widened. “I had no idea you were looking to buy property. How exciting. Where is this land?”

Before he could reply, Reilly answered for him. “Up on Olson Mountain, just past

Lindsey Lane.”

Jon jerked at his response. The Commitment Church had owned and operated a fair amount of land on Olson Mountain. Because of poor roads and steep inclines, the area was nearly inaccessible to anyone the cult wished to keep out. Clearly, Reilly hadn’t given up hope that he would take the case and was dangling more information in front of him despite his refusal.

“Oh it’s beautiful out there. I think the school library has several house-plan books, Jon. You should check them out.”

“I haven’t bought the land yet and I didn’t say anything about building a house.”

The idea of lying to Carly did not sit easily on Jon’s shoulders.

“I have to be going.” Reilly picked up his jacket. “I’ll be in touch with you later.

Perhaps we can drive out to look at the property together—and Ms. James, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope we run into one another again before I return home.”

“So do I.” She smiled as Reilly made his way to the door of the classroom.

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Mari Carr

Once Reilly left, Jon took a deep breath and braced himself for the onslaught. He wasn’t disappointed.

“Jon, you sneaky Pete! Why didn’t you tell me you were planning to buy land? I

thought you were happy in your townhouse. Living up on a mountain would be amazing. I bet it has a beautiful view. Can we drive out and look at it sometime?”

Grinning, he shook his head. Not only was Carly friendly and vivacious, she had more energy than a four-year-old. “I haven’t bought the land. I wasn’t even thinking about such a purchase until Reilly came by with the offer. To tell you the truth, I’m perfectly happy in my townhouse and the stress of building my own home isn’t something I need right now.”

“Jon—” she started to protest.

“I’m not going to buy it.”

“Oh.” She was clearly disappointed. No doubt she’d already envisioned helping him pick out carpet and appliances. “Well, I suppose it would be stressful. Joyce and her husband split up right in the midst of building their dream home. She said they would still be married today if it weren’t for their inept contractor and the strain of it all.”

Jon smiled. Carly knew everyone’s story because in addition to her role as secretary, she also served—in an unofficial capacity—as counselor to the entire faculty. Anything told to her in confidence was kept in confidence and she never betrayed a trust. After living so much of his life pretending to be someone other than himself, he found her straightforward, no-nonsense approach to life enlightening. She was exactly what she appeared to be.

“Well, what about the football game?” She returned to her reason for seeking him out.

“I’m in. Wanna go grab a burger beforehand?”

“Sounds great. We can hit that new place next to Lee’s Pizza in the mini-mall. I’ve heard good things about their bacon cheeseburgers.” She paused, groaning. “Oh shit.”

“What?”

“I forgot. I’m on a diet.”

“Carly,” he said in a tone he hoped would warn her he didn’t want to go down this road again. Why she thought she needed to lose weight was beyond him. Mercifully, she wasn’t pencil-thin. Give him a girl with curves any day—and she had her curves in all the right places. Although she complained endlessly about what she referred to as her “bubble butt”, Jon simply didn’t see it. She was the perfect hourglass and he’d pointed out to her on more than one occasion that most women would kill for her

Marilyn Monroe figure.

Unfortunately, his compliments were continually rebuffed and he tried not to be annoyed that the woman simply could not accept any favorable comments about

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Retreat herself. If there was one thing about her that drove him crazy, it was her low self-

esteem.

“Of course, I’ve been on a diet for ten years, so I don’t see what difference a lousy burger is going to make. My metabolism seems to have died a painful death years ago and there’s simply no reviving it. It’s hell getting old.”

“You aren’t old.” He knew his voice sounded gruff, but he was tired of hearing her put herself down. “And you aren’t fat. You’re just right.”

At her eye-rolling dismissal of his words, Jon felt his anger building.

“I’m a practical girl with eyes and mirrors, Jon, and besides, I figure I have something much better than good looks.”

“What’s that?” He tried to calm the fury Reilly seemed to have set loose inside him.

“Common sense. That’s much better than brilliance or beauty.”

“Well,” he answered through gritted teeth, “it seems to me, you have all three.”

“You are such a sweet friend.” She turned as if to leave. That was the other thing that drove him crazy. Whenever faced with a compliment, she became embarrassed and left the room. Unwilling to allow her to retreat this time, he grabbed her arm before she’d taken two steps.

“You are beautiful.” He forced her to look him in the eye with a firm finger under her chin.

“Jon—”

“Say it,” he demanded harshly.

“Say what?” She was clearly shocked by his domineering manner. He’d only ever treated her with kid gloves, but Reilly’s visit upset him more than he cared to admit. He felt shades of his former personality breaking through the cool exterior he’d worked hard to construct. Listening to his gorgeous friend’s ridiculous self-recriminations drove him over the edge.

“I’m beautiful,” he repeated, refusing to back down.

“You’re beautiful.” She gave him an impish smile—however, her joke was wasted on him. He could feel himself slipping into the old Jon.

“I’ve got all night.” His grip on her arm tightened. “Are you going to say it or not?”

“I don’t understand…”

He watched the smallest glimmer of fear creep into her confused eyes but he refused to give her an inch.

“I mean it, Carly. I’ve had it with your comments. You’re the most beautiful woman

I’ve ever met and if you try to tell me one more time that you’re not, I’ll lose it.”

Carly smiled at his words and he watched as the fear and confusion were replaced by what appeared to be amazement. “That is absolutely, positively the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” she said after a moment.

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“Clearly that’s the problem, but that doesn’t stop it from being the truth. Now are you going to say it or am I going to take you over my knee?”

He watched her cheeks flush at his comment. It appeared she was struggling to take a deep breath and the pupils in her lovely blue eyes dilated. Could it be she wouldn’t mind such an occurrence? He felt a serious stirring in his pants that would cause her to blush even more if she spotted it. Usually he was able to keep his one-eyed friend under control around her, careful not to frighten her with his interest.

As he watched her stammering, Jon wondered why he’d started this conversation.

What the hell was he thinking? It was that damn Reilly. He’d left him in a state of turmoil, opening a Pandora’s box. The old, dangerous Jon was beginning to reemerge from the wreckage of his earlier life and he felt the new calm, cool and collected Jon quickly losing the ground he’d gained in the last few years.

“I—I’m b-beautiful.” The sincerity of her words was questionable enough, but she sealed her fate when she rolled her eyes and giggled with exasperation at the end of her statement.

“That’s it!” He dragged her toward the chair behind his desk.

“Jon!” She began to struggle.

“Don’t fight me.” He pulled harder as she dug her heels in. “I gave you a chance.”

“Fine. Have it your way. I’m beautiful. I’m the most gorgeous woman on earth. I

should be a supermodel or a movie star, I’m   fucking hot. Happy?”

so

He turned to face her and felt his anger melt away at the humor written on her lovely face. He’d behaved like a brute but rather than run away in fear, she continued to tease him.

Grimacing at his foul behavior, he barked out a brief “sorry” before turning to load his briefcase. He needed to put some distance between them before he did something they’d both regret.

“Wanna tell me what the hell that was all about?” she asked after a few moments of uneasy silence.

He shook his head.

“Jon.” She paused, waiting until he looked at her before finishing her comment.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Still want that burger?”

“Heck yeah. I’m beautiful and hungry.”

Grabbing his briefcase and leather jacket in one hand, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder in a friendly gesture. “You’re beautiful and crazy.”

They’d nearly reached the classroom door when she pulled away. “You wouldn’t really have…” She gestured back to the desk chair. “You know.”

“Spanked you?” He grinned with the lightheartedness she seemed to bring out in him.

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She blushed and nodded.

“Oh yeah—and I would have loved every minute of it.” He watched her cheeks grow even redder. “Don’t worry, Blue Eyes, knowing you and that mouth of yours, I

have no doubt I’ll get to carry through on the threat eventually. And trust me, you’ll love every minute of it too.”

Ignoring her speechlessness, he winked and continued to guide her out into the hallway before turning off the lights and locking the door.

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Chapter Two

Jon was starving by the time they finally made it to the burger joint. They’d separated at the front door of the school with his promise to swing by her place an hour later to pick her up. They’d both needed time to change into more comfortable clothes and Jon had needed time to regroup his thoughts, regain control.

Tonight’s football game promised to be an exciting one, with Lowell taking on a crosstown rival. Jon suspected the stands would be packed and he looked forward to being forced into cramped conditions with Carly, soaking up the scent of strawberries left in her hair from the shampoo she used. God, he loved the way she smelled.

He wasn’t sure exactly when his attitude toward her had changed, but he suddenly wanted Carly James with a need so powerful it frightened him. There were two big things holding him back from changing their status quo. First of all, if the truth about his past ever came out, she would never forgive him.

Secondly, normal girls like Carly would never understand the needs that lived inside him—and the fact that Night was back in town only exacerbated the problem. It was that knowledge that stopped him dead in his tracks every time his desire threatened to overwhelm him. She deserved much better than him and he knew it.

Night’s return—in light of his growing feelings for Carly—was going to test him and he felt certain he’d fail.

Night would take one look at her and want her every bit as much as Jon did, and he could never hope to explain—even to himself—why he felt overwhelmed with the desire to share her with his best friend.

His upbringing had definitely shaped and fueled that need. He’d been introduced to the Commitment Church the year he’d turned eleven. His father had died unexpectedly of a heart attack and his mother, Cassandra, had discovered Reverend

Rex Thomas’ cult. Actually, Rex discovered Cassandra. As was his practice, he’d preyed on young widows and divorcees. However, instead of finding a distraught woman in desperate need of rescuing, Rex had found a kindred spirit in Cassandra. Renouncing his harem, he proclaimed her his high priestess within months of their arrival at the farm. As Cassandra ascended the ranks of the cult, Jon followed. Rex took him under his wing and Jon—enthralled by no longer being forced to go to school—embraced cult life.

At fourteen, Jon and Night, Rex’s son by one of his numerous wives, were initiated into the world of sex. Most women in the cult were trained and cultivated to serve the male members’ every fantasy. BDSM was widely practiced and by sixteen, Jon and

Night were accomplished masters. They’d always shared the women and for several years after the cult fell, Jon had found it impossible to enjoy sex without the presence of

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Retreat his friend. One night—after too much whiskey—he’d discovered Night suffered the same feeling of loss. After that, they’d begun to seek out women willing to take on both of them in bed.

Rubbing his weary eyes, he thrust the unhappy memories from his mind. The

Commitment Church was something he purposely hadn’t thought of in fifteen years, despite the fact he still suffered nightmares about his time there.

Sitting at the table with Carly, he again considered Reilly’s suspicions. Cassandra wasn’t a fool and there was no way she would resurrect the Commitment Church. If she was on the mountain, she clearly had a different plan this time. And there was no force in nature that would compel him to go anywhere near Olson Mountain again. The normal life he’d craved since leaving the cult and the UIA was within his grasp.

Glancing across the table, he watched Carly dig into her French fries with vigor.

Normal.

He was going to be normal and if anyone could show him the way, it was the lively sprite before him.

“You’re awfully quiet tonight,” she said.

As their friendship grew, Jon had become concerned, worried about the day she would ask him questions about himself and his past that he couldn’t answer. She’d never met Night as he’d been out of the country the last eighteen months.

“Earth to Jon.” She waved her hands in front of his face. “Anybody home?”

“I’m here.”

“Could have fooled me. You’ve been zoning out since you picked me up. Do you feel all right?”

“I feel fine.”

“If you’re too tired, we don’t have to go to the football game. I know it’s been a long week. I’m sure someone snuck at least three Tuesdays in there.”

He laughed at her jest. “I’m not too tired. Besides, there’s no way I could miss this game and show my face in school on Monday. I have three starters on the team in my third period and they’d be pissed off if I missed it.”

“The kids love you. No one can teach the struggling students like you can.”

“Careful there, Blue Eyes. Unlike you, I have no problem accepting a compliment and yours is feeding my already overweening sense of self.”

“Ha ha. I don’t have problems with compliments. Just ones that aren’t necessarily true.” At her words, his eyes narrowed and she quickly raised her hands in surrender.

“Oh no. We are not going there again.”

“Didn’t your ex-husband ever tell you how pretty you are?” He felt a bit curious about her unsuccessful marriage. It was the one subject about which she didn’t speak often.

“We didn’t have that kind of marriage.”

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“What the hell does that mean?”

“Adam and I were—actually are

—better friends than lovers. Our relationship was never based on passion, just companionship.”

“Excuse me for saying so, but that doesn’t sound like much of a marriage.”

“You’re right. Our marriage was probably a mistake from the beginning, but the fact is we were really great friends. I suppose in a lot of ways it was easier to just hang in there. I mean, we got along fine. Why mess with something that wasn’t terrible? We rarely fought and we had a good time together even if we weren’t ripping each other’s clothes off every night.”

“So what happened?”

“He met someone whose clothes he wanted to rip off.”

“Ah.” He was unsure how to respond to her carefree response.

“Shelby is Adam’s soul mate. She completes him in a way I never could. She’s wonderful for him. Truth is, as much as I know I should be devastated, I’m not. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m several eggs short of a dozen.”

“Sorry, but that’s not what I’m thinking.”

“You aren’t?” Her face showed her disbelief at his statement.

“Nope.”

“Then what were are you thinking?”

“That you are too good to be true.” Before he could think about his actions, he leaned across the table and kissed her.

Night watched Jon lean forward to kiss the gorgeous brunette. Making a quick adjustment to his pants, he imagined what it would be like to put his mouth on those oh-so-kissable lips as well.

He hadn’t seen his friend in well over a year, since before Jon had started his new life as an English teacher. Night knew it was foolish to be nervous about seeing Jon again, yet for some reason he couldn’t shake the feeling.

Things had changed between them in the last few years. A wall had been erected and for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out how or why. He knew Jon was struggling to overcome and forget the past. He could respect that even if he couldn’t quite understand. For him, the past would never go away as long as Cassandra Walker was a free woman. Now—for the first time in nearly a decade and a half—he saw his chance for retribution.

Night ran a hand through his dirty hair, shaking loose clumps of soil and dried leaves. Damn Reilly wanted him up on that godforsaken mountain twenty-four-seven.

After days without a shower, hot food or a decent night’s sleep, he’d had enough. On

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Retreat top of his discomfort, he was tired of wondering how Jon would respond to the fact that

Mommie Dearest was back in town.

He’d just been pulling into the parking lot of Jon’s townhouse complex when he saw his friend pulling out. Jon hadn’t seen him and, as Night didn’t have a key, he’d decided to follow him. He’d been surprised to see his friend pull up in front of a small house on the edge of town and pick up the pretty little brunette. Grinning at the prospect of having a bit of fun at Jon’s expense, he’d followed the couple to this restaurant.

He could just imagine the look on the woman’s face when he walked up to Jon and hugged him. He looked like a homeless person and his smell was potent. The problem was, he could see from here that something was bothering his friend and he wasn’t sure this was the right time to approach him.

So instead he’d simply sat in his truck and watched Jon and his date throughout most of their meal. He knew his friend better than anyone on earth and he could only assume Reilly had finally made contact and Jon hadn’t taken the news of Cassandra’s reappearance well.

As he watched, Jon ended the kiss with a smile and his date blushed.

“Christ,” he muttered. The entire thing reminded him of an episode of

The Andy

Griffith Show

, it was so innocent and sweet. Nausea swam through him. So it looked like his best friend had finally gotten his heart’s desire. He’d achieved what they’d both assumed was impossible—a normal life.

The couple rose to leave the restaurant and Night bent down in the front seat of his truck while Jon opened the passenger door for his date, then circled the car and climbed in. As he watched them drive away, Night decided tonight clearly wasn’t a good night for a reunion. He groaned at the prospect of another night spent sleeping on the cold, hard ground, then started his truck and headed back toward the mountain.

17

Mari Carr

Chapter Three

Carly was quiet as he drove her home from the football game. In fact, she’d been rather subdued ever since his impetuous kiss in the restaurant. He’d wanted to talk to her about it, but at the football game she had carved them out a place in the midst of the faculty section. Surrounded by colleagues didn’t allow much opportunity for intimate conversation. Unfortunately, the long game—Lowell won in overtime—gave him too much time to worry about her response. He’d sensed she was confused and he didn’t blame her. In the course of a few hours, he’d told her she was beautiful, threatened to spank her and kissed her public.

She lived close to the school and they were pulling up in front of her house before he’d had a chance to speak a word to her.

“Carly.” He turned toward her as she reached for the door handle of the car.

“Jon, you don’t have to say anything. I mean it was just a little kiss. Don’t worry about it.”

“‘Worry about it’?”

“Yeah. I mean, you’ve been so sweet to me today, but you really didn’t have to kiss me just to make me feel better about myself.”

“What?” He was perplexed by her comments.

“I know I’m not exactly what you would call the most self-confident woman in the world, but I meant what I said about Adam. I’m not hurt by his decision, so you don’t have to worry that I’m in denial or pining away or lonely or anything.”

She thought the kiss was simply to cheer her up? A pity kiss?

She was still talking and he forced himself to tune back in to her rambling conversation. “Suppose I’m just not the kind of woman to evoke that kind of passion in a man.”

“What?”

“I’ve always been the girl next door, never the fantasy. I’m a tomboy—always have been. Guys see me as a friend, not a conquest, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I

mean, I think fellas are cool to hang out with. Much better than women who only ever want to shop and talk on the phone.”

He shook his head, certain he hadn’t heard her right. She thought that he wasn’t attracted to her. That she didn’t ooze passion and sex out of every pore of her delectable body.

“So thanks for the nice words and kiss, but you don’t have to worry, I don’t expect anything more. Nothing’s changed. We’re still friends.”

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Retreat

“The hell we are!” He realized he was shouting and he spoke with more heat than he’d intended. She flinched as if he’d hit her. “Don’t say another word.” He opened his door and circled the car to open hers. “Get out.”

She got out of the car stiffly, clearly unsure how to react to his angry response.

Grabbing her hand, he half led, half dragged her to her front door, barely keeping himself in check.

“Where’s your key?” He grabbed it from her when she attempted to hand it over.

Her hands were shaking now but he was too far gone to care. Reilly had lured the bear out of its den this afternoon and her comments had poked it into a fury.

Once he had the front door open, he followed her in, latching it behind them.

Warily, she turned to him. “Jon?”

He didn’t reply to the question in her voice. “Upstairs.”

He was slightly surprised when she followed his command without refusal. Having been in her home numerous times, he knew exactly where her bedroom was. When they reached the top of the stairs, she paused until he placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her toward her room.

Upon reaching his destination, he stood in the doorway as she moved away from him to the center of the room. Obviously she’d had enough time to gather her wits and she rounded on him, fury evident in her face.

“What the hell is wrong with you today?” She yanked off her denim jacket and threw it across the room.

Still angry, he was itching for a fight. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong with me. You!” He pointed a finger at her before divesting himself of his own leather coat. “You’re what’s wrong with me, but you know what, Blue Eyes? I’m about to correct that.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She backed away slowly but he matched her step for step.

“I’m talking about the fact that you are so fucking blind to your own beauty you can’t see when a man is attracted to you. That was no goddamn pity kiss and if you can’t tell the difference, then it’s obvious you need to be taught a lesson about kissing.”

“Lesson?”

He halted her retreat by grabbing her upper arms and pulling her toward his chest.

“Lesson.” His lips descended on hers in a kiss that her insecure mind could never mistake for pity or friendship. It was an outright possession, an unreserved claiming.

His tongue explored her mouth and his teeth nipped lightly at her lips as his hands moved up to cup her face, holding her still for his amorous assault. And an assault is exactly what it was. He gave her no quarter, no reprieve, no opportunity to misunderstand his meaning this time. She was not going to be his friend or his girl next door.

She was going to be his.

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Mari Carr

When he lifted his lips from hers, he saw such a mixture of emotion in her eyes that he didn’t know what to respond to first—the confusion, the fear or the desire. Both of them were breathing heavily and he allowed her to take one step back. He needed to give her time to consider his actions, his intentions, his longings. He was finished fighting the past. He wanted a future. Clearly she read his objective without words, because he saw her eyes widen with the realization.

“Come here.” He deliberately softened his tone, not wanting to frighten her any more.

“Why?”

“Come here, Carly.”

“Jon…” She was obviously stalling for time, but his patience was in tatters.

Refusing to listen to any more of her rambling diatribes, he grabbed her roughly, pushing her back against the nearest wall. His lips cut off her protest, taking hers as if his life depended on stealing all the breath in her body.

She was stunned motionless for several moments before he felt something give way and she succumbed to his intense kiss. Her hands slid slowly up his chest, continuing until his grip on her upper arms loosened enough that she could wrap her arms around his neck, her hands pulling his hair, keeping his lips on hers.

Unwilling to give up control of the kiss, his own hands traveled down her back until he reached her buttocks, firmly gripping each cheek and pulling her toward him until he was able to grind his hard erection into her soft stomach.

She seemed shocked by the intimacy of his actions and he felt her pull back from the kiss. “Jon?”

“No. No more talking.” Taking her lips against his own again, he effectively halted anything she might have said. She’d had her say in the car—now he was going to prove her words false. Lightly nipping her lower lip, he thrust his tongue into her mouth, moving it in time with the thrusting of his hips against hers, leaving her no question where tonight would lead them.

Slowly, he moved his kiss away from her now-swollen lips, dragging them over her soft cheek to her ear, uncaring if his rough five o’clock shadow was scraping her. He felt an overwhelming desire to mark her. He tickled her ear with his tongue before biting the lobe gently. Ignoring her gasp, he moved farther down, pressing moist kisses and sharp nips along her throat until he reached the opening of her blouse. She was whimpering in his arms now and he could feel her hips thrusting out toward him, unconsciously trying to find something to fill her, and the thought undid him.

Without a word, he stepped away and gripped both sides of her shirt. He ripped it open in one fast movement. The sound of buttons bouncing on the floor and the rending of material filled the air, drowning out their harsh breathing.

“God, Jon!” Her chest rose and fell rapidly as he watched her struggle to catch her breath. Her large, white breasts were perfectly framed by a lacy bra.

20

Retreat

“Jesus.” He stepped back as he got his first real look at the luscious body she kept hidden beneath her conservative work clothing.

She blushed under his intense study and attempted to cover herself with the remains of her blouse, but his strong hands on her wrists stilled her motions. Holding her hands away from her body, he continued to worship her with his gaze. She had the kind of tits a man could suck on for a lifetime and never get his fill.

“What did you expect?” Her voice shook with nervous laughter as she once again mistook his silence. “I’m nearly forty.”

He knew she was trying to cover up her anxiety with humor, but he simply couldn’t let her escape this moment in that way. “You’re only thirty-two and I didn’t expect a goddess.”

She snorted with disbelief. Heat rose in Jon’s cheeks and he was surprised she didn’t hear the final nail being driven into her coffin.

“That does it!” His anger returned full force. Reaching behind her, he unclasped her bra and, in one smooth motion, pulled it and her torn blouse from her body before she realized his intentions. For the first time in a lifetime, he felt like the Jon he used to be.

The master lover resurfaced and threatened to overtake him. For fifteen years he’d kept the beast at bay, burying his dominant desires deep inside. He hadn’t been a monk, but he hadn’t been his true self either. When he’d needed, he and Night found a willing bed partner but the sex was always light—merely a means to an end. When they couldn’t find a willing partner they’d bought one, but even then, he’d refused to let the demons out.

Now his control was shattered. He stood in front of Carly—his friend, his fantasy, his future—and her denial drove him over the edge. It was his last fingerhold on sanity that finally prompted him to speak.

“Carly.” His voice was thick with his desire. “Say no now. I won’t ask again.”

“I-I…” He watched the gravity of his words sink in.

“Now Carly. Say it now!” He leaned closer, his hands running through her lovely chestnut-brown hair. If she asked him to leave, somehow he would, but she needed to ask right now. Another minute in her presence and he couldn’t make the same guarantee.

“Jon, please…I want you.” His inner beast felt like howling as she reached out to him.

He forced the words “trust me” out before pulling her into his embrace. No longer willing to hold anything back, he touched her everywhere, exploring, roaming, learning her secrets. Bending down, he took her rose-colored nipple into his mouth, sucking gently before biting the tip. At her gasp of pain, he soothed her with a gentle rasp of his tongue. He moved to her other breast, repeating his motions. This time when he bit down, she moaned.

“Beautiful.” He felt her hands tug roughly at his hair, obviously torn between pushing him away and pulling him closer. After several moments worshipping her

21

Mari Carr breasts, his hands moved to the button of her jeans. She shuddered and Jon wondered if it was due to fear or excitement. As he looked up at her face, he decided perhaps a little of both. He’d never shown her this side of himself. To her, he was sweet, affable, easygoing Jon. He could see this man and the intensity he’d kept hidden for so many years had her reeling, struggling to adjust and keep up.

Smiling to himself, he refused to make it easy on her. She’d driven him crazy tonight and he was ready to get back some of his own. “You’ve been a naughty girl, Carly.” He grasped the zipper tab to her jeans and pulled it down. “I think it’s time for another lesson.”

She was gasping for breath as she gripped his wrists. “Wait, Jon. Too fast. This is all too fast.”

“No, Blue Eyes. I gave you your out. You didn’t take it. It’s too late for that now.”

His hands at her waistband pulled her jeans and panties down in one sweep. “Step up.

Let’s get rid of these pants.”

Obeying without question, she toed off her tennis shoes before kicking the jeans away. Again she tried to cover herself but he grabbed her hands and roughly placed them at her sides. “Leave them there.” His voice was hard, firm, and he felt his dominant nature continue to drive him on.

“It hardly seems fair.” Her playful voice reemerged and he rejoiced at her easy capitulation to his controlling disposition. One look at her face convinced him she was more than ready for the ride he was about to take her on. “Here I am naked and you’re still fully dressed.”

“I’ll take my clothes off soon enough. First, I want to look at you.”

She protested and her hands rose to cover herself.

“If you move your hands again, Blue Eyes, I’ll be forced to tie them behind your back.”

He wanted to crow when he watched her squeeze her thighs together at his threat.

It was just as he suspected. His lively little secretary was a closet submissive and not at all opposed to a bit of kinky bed play. Twice now she’d responded to his threats and he was sure she wouldn’t resist light bondage or a sensual spanking.

Groaning inwardly, he felt his already too-tight jeans constrict around his rock-hard erection even more. He couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman more than Carly in his entire life. Desires he’d refused to set loose in years were suddenly chomping at the bit, ready to be given free rein.

For a split second he wished Night were here with them. Jolted by the thought, he tried to cast it aside but in his mind’s eye he could see Night standing behind her, holding her lovely large breasts up to his mouth, feeding her tight, hard nipples to him.

He shook the thought away.

Sitting down on her bed, he patted his lap, beckoning her to him. “Come here, sweetheart. I think I promised you a lesson.”

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Retreat

She moved slowly forward before stopping in front of him, looking uncertain. He offered her no reprieve as he surprised her by quickly pulling her down on his lap, her soft buttocks cradled between his hard thighs. He captured her head in his hands and proceeded to kiss her once more, lighter this time, slower, more thoroughly.

When he sensed her acquiescence to his gentle kisses, he changed the pace, tumbling her roughly facedown over his lap.

Before she could respond, he lightly smacked her bare bottom.

“Hey!” she squeaked in protest, but he merely struck her again. Three quick slaps followed as she squirmed.

“This will go a lot easier if you don’t fight me.” His calloused hand rubbed lightly on her now-reddened cheeks. “I told you earlier you would earn a punishment with your self-deprecating comments. You didn’t disappoint me.” With that, he spanked her twice more.

“God, Jon, yes!” He knew his actions were turning her on as she started to anticipate his slaps and move into them. Slowly he moved his hand to the slit between her legs, sliding a finger through the undeniable proof.

“You’re so hot and wet, baby. A man could swim in there.” He felt her entire body shiver at his touch.

“Please…” Her hips moved toward his touch, silently begging for more.

“Not yet.” He planted another light pat on her rear end. “Does this feel like friendship, Carly?” His fingers moved back to her drenched passage, teasing her with light touches.

“No.”

“Do you still think you’re undesirable?”

“No.” She whimpered as he ran a light finger over he clit, tapping it once.

“Is this passion?” He refused to let her continue to think of herself as a woman who couldn’t drive a man to lust. Driving a finger into her hot, wet warmth, he repeated the question. “Is this passion?”

“Yes!” She hissed the word at him as an orgasm ripped through her quivering body. He felt her internal muscles grip his finger and he was amazed at her intense reaction. She’d come from no more than a spanking, his words and a single touch.

“Sweet Jesus.” He felt mystified and gratified to have found her. Once her body stilled, he picked her up and placed her on the bed. He lay down beside her and smiled when she curled into him easily, resting her head on his chest. Glancing down, he realized he was still fully dressed and fully aroused. She seemed to come to the same realization.

Smiling shyly, she looked up into his face. “Sorry.”

He chuckled at her apology. “Oh, so you noticed I was here.”

“That was amazing.” Her voice was filled with awe.

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Mari Carr

“Yes, it was.”

“But you didn’t…I mean, you never…you know.”

“The night is still young.”

“Oh, right. But…” She grinned at him and Jon felt his heart stop for a moment.

“You’re still dressed.”

“I suppose we should take care of that small fact since it seems to be such a sticking point for you.”

He rose from the bed and pulled his shirt over his head. He heard her sigh as she looked at his chest and he found himself feeling foolishly relieved she found him attractive. He quickly divested himself of his shoes, pants and boxers. Once he was totally naked, he glanced down to look at her face.

She was completely still and Jon noted she’d begun biting her lower lip, a sure sign she was nervous.

“That bad?”

“You’re huge.”

He grinned at her praise and teasingly flexed his arm muscles. “You think so?”

He laughed until he realized she wasn’t smiling. She was never without a smile and he moved quickly to grab her trembling hands in his own. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“Jon, you’re huge,” she repeated as she turned away from him, hastily covering herself with the comforter on the bed.

“Whoa.” Now that he had her where he wanted her, he refused to allow her retreat.

“Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“God, look at you. I’m not really sure…”

While he was probably on the large side of average, he’d never had any complaints about his size physically hurting anyone. He struggled not to smile and hoped he never ran into her ex-husband. Apparently Adam was lacking somewhat in the cock department. “It’ll be fine, Blue Eyes. I promise.”

She looked at him suspiciously before blushing furiously. “Shit, I’ve really killed the moment here, haven’t I?”

He grinned at her question but Carly didn’t smile back.

“Jon, this is a mistake. Surely you realize that?”

“Back up, sweetheart. What the hell are you talking about?”

“Um, hello

Jon! Take a look at us. We’re too different. I’m at least twenty pounds overweight, my breasts sag and my thighs are thick as tree trunks. Meanwhile, you’ve got honest-to-God washboard abs! I mean, you could be the next James Bond.”

“And what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?”

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Retreat

“I’m about as sexy as a toothbrush, Jon! Surely you’re used to women who actually know what to do in the bedroom. I think I just let it slip that my past experiences don’t even come close to measuring up to your expectations.”

“That’s funny. I don’t remember discussing my expectations but since you’ve brought it up, let’s talk about them. I expect you to believe me when I say you’re gorgeous. I expect you to be brave enough to take a chance on what could be the best thing that’s ever happened to either of us. I expect you to trust me when I say you are a fucking wet dream come true and if you really believe all that bullshit you said in the car about guys looking at you as nothing more than a buddy, you’re a damn fool. Why don’t you tell me the real reason you’re backing away from this, Carly? Why can’t you believe me when I tell you you’re beautiful and that I want you?”

Shaking her head, she seemed to be fighting tears. He knew he should feel remorse for his harsh words, but he couldn’t regret them. If she sent him away now, he’d fall apart. Something he’d never done. Not even during the darkest days of his life with the cult. Overcome with panic, he halted any response she might make. Not when there was the slightest chance she’d refuse him.

Reaching out, he pulled her under him in one smooth move. Without thought to his actions, he quickly touched her clit. Discovering her wet and ready, he slowly but steadily thrust into her. She was small and tight and his conscience screamed at him for his impulsive action. He paused briefly to make sure he hadn’t hurt her and felt the dark clouds lift when her hips rose, urging him to further movement. With her silent surrender, he gave up his hard-earned control and gave in to the devils driving him.

Pounding into her with all the passion in his body, he gave her no respite. Twice he heard her screams, felt her coming around him, but he couldn’t stop, couldn’t give up the heaven that was her body gripping and pulsing around him. At last, he couldn’t hold back his own orgasm as he poured his seed deep inside her as she came with him a final time.

He wasn’t sure how many minutes he lay fully atop her before he regained enough strength to pull himself out of her body. Shame suffused him as he considered his actions. He wouldn’t treat a prostitute as roughly as he’d just treated his friend.

“Jon.” Her voice was hoarse from her screams. “Can I tell you something?”

“Anything, Blue Eyes.” He struggled to keep his voice light despite the panic rising in his gut.

“That was the most incredible sex of my life. I’ve never had one orgasm like that, let alone four. Is it possible to die from coming? Because I honestly thought I was dying there. I thought my heart was going to burst.”

He chuckled at her endearing rambling, relief pouring through him.

“Jon.”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“I know I acted rather flippant about my divorce, but the truth is—it hurt. I mean, I

know Adam and I were wrong for each other, but I still couldn’t stop wondering what

25

Mari Carr was wrong with me

. Guess my self-confidence took a bigger nosedive than I thought.

I’m going to fall in love with you and if you ever decide to leave, well, I’m not sure I

could—”

“Blue Eyes.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t be afraid. If you fall, I’ll be right here. I’ll catch you. Always.”

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Chapter Four

It was still dark when Carly opened her eyes again. She wasn’t sure what had woken her until she heard something across the room.

Jon? Was he leaving? She rolled over and saw the silhouette of him sitting in a chair by the window.

“Jon?”

“Sorry, sweetheart.” He came back to sit beside her on the bed. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

She could see he was fully dressed and wondered why he hadn’t gone.

“Going somewhere?” She gestured to the leather jacket in his hands.

“Yes. No. I was going to go home, but I couldn’t leave.”

“You can stay.”

“I know that.” Her heart fell at his tone. He wanted to leave. He’d changed his mind.

She quickly tried to gather the scattered remnants of her pride. “It’s okay. You don’t have to stay. I understand if you’ve reconsidered.”

“Reconsidered.” His deep voice betrayed nothing of his feelings and his face was obscured by the darkness.

“No harm done.” She cursed the slight quiver in her voice. She could do this, she thought. After all she’d done it with Adam…

“This isn’t working anymore,” Adam had said one night as she lay in their king-

sized bed. Glancing up, she realized he was still fully dressed even though it was nearly midnight and they both had to get up early for work in the morning.

“What isn’t?” His comment had caught her just as she was drifting off.

“This marriage, Carly.”

Wide awake now, she sat up to see her husband of ten years bending over to tie the laces of his tennis shoes.

“What are you saying?” She wasn’t sure why she asked the question. Her heart knew the answer. She watched him drift further away from her with each passing day.

“I want a divorce.” He rose quietly and she realized he planned to leave.

“Don’t be silly. It’s the middle of the night.” She was hoping it was all a joke until his final words.

“There’s someone else.”

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Mari Carr

Now, like then, she attempted to swallow her pride, fighting against the crushing pressure in her chest. She didn’t beg then and she wouldn’t beg now. If Jon wanted nothing more from her than a one-night stand, then fine. She could manage to return to a simple friendship. She’d given the same to her ex-husband. She’d smiled and wished

Adam well, despite the deep hurt he’d caused.

Only this time, the words weren’t coming as easily. In one year of friendship and one night of bliss, Jon had laid claim to her heart more completely than Adam had in a decade of marriage. She wasn’t sure she could let him go with no more than a handshake and a smile.

“Jon.” She wished the shaking in her voice would stop betraying her. “Please just go.” God, she hoped she could hold in the tears threatening to fall until he left. She simply couldn’t cry in front of him. “You don’t have to say anything. I understand.”

“No.” His voice was devoid of emotion and she wished there was some light in the room so she could see his face. “I don’t think you do understand. Carly, you deserve so much better than me.”

She felt a harsh laugh fall from her lips. “Spare me, Jon! God, please tell me I’m a lousy lay, an annoyance, a nag. Anything but the ‘you deserve better  line.”

’

“You think I’m leaving because I want to?”

“You’re doing a pretty good imitation of it. Shoes are tied and everything. Just like

Adam.” A lone tear escaped before she could call it back.

“Damn.” He gathered her stiff form in his warm arms. “I’m sorry, so sorry, sweetheart. I’m an idiot. Worse than an idiot. I’m an asshole. I don’t want to leave you. I

meant what I said earlier. Every word.”

“Then why are you leaving? What did you mean when you said I deserved better than you?”

He gave her a guilty grin. “I woke up with you in my arms and remembered how rough I was with you. I would rather die than hurt you, but when it comes to sex—”

“You didn’t hurt me. I told you. What we did…” She felt herself blush as she recalled their intense lovemaking. “It was perfect.”

“You don’t understand. Even in that, I was holding back.”

“Holding back?”

“I can’t guarantee I won’t hurt you in the future. I want too much from you. I want everything.”

She was perplexed by his words. She sensed his struggle to be completely honest with her and she felt even more of her heart succumb to him.

“Everything?”

He stood with a curse. “Fuck! I thought I could do this. I swear, I thought I could hold back. Give you the Jon you’ve come to know. Be that man for you. But I can’t. I see you in that bed…I look at you as you are now and…” He started pacing. “If you knew

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Retreat all the ways I want to possess you, sweetheart, you would be running as fast and as far from here as those gorgeous little feet of yours could take you.”

She let the sheet she was clutching fall and stood up. Standing beside him naked still felt unnatural to her. She wondered if she would ever be completely comfortable with it.

“Tell me.” She reached out to him and he stopped pacing. Stretching up on her tiptoes, she placed a light kiss on his cheek before reaching up to caress his face.

His strong hand halted her touch, clutching her wrist so tightly she fought the urge to cry out, not from pain but from amazement at the sheer power of his hold on her.

“Tell you?” The anguish she’d heard in his voice when she’d awoken was suddenly replaced by an emotion she couldn’t name. His tone was one she’d never heard before.

The word primal crossed her mind and wouldn’t be dismissed.

“Oh I’ll tell you.” He pushed her back onto the bed. “And then it will be too late.”

“Too late?”

“It’s already too late.” His breath was hot on her cheek as he came over her. “I can’t stop. Can’t stop.”

She attempted to grasp the hem of his shirt, anxious to have him naked in her arms again, but he caught her hands and drew them up above her head, holding her captive, helpless to resist him in any way.

“Not yet.” His voice growled in her ears. “Mine. I’m going to make you mine.”

His words thrilled her and she felt an unfamiliar dampness at the top of her thighs.

It had been so long since she’d wanted a man like this.

God, had she ever wanted a man this much?

“I

am yours.” The words flew from her lips without thought and even as she said them, she knew they were true.

His low, almost harsh chuckle caught her unaware and if she weren’t so turned on by his actions, she thought perhaps she should feel threatened.

“Not yet,” he answered, “but you will be soon. So much to do. To show you. To teach you.” As he spoke, his lips traveled down her throat toward her heaving breasts.

She felt wholly consumed, her breathing constricted as if she’d run a marathon.

“So much to claim.” He sucked her breast into his mouth, toying with the turgid nipple. Moving slowly, he treated her other breast to the same treatment before settling between them, running his tongue along the skin between her swollen mounds. “I’m going to take you here. Put my cock right here while you squeeze your soft tits against it. I’ll thrust and thrust and when I’m finished, I’ll cover you in my come—your chest, your stomach, your face. I want to mark you.”

Shuddering, she felt the juices between her legs gushing like a waterfall. Never had she been so excited by mere words. He was barely touching her and yet she felt as if he was doing exactly what he promised.

“Yes.” She sensed that he wanted—no, needed—her approval.

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Mari Carr

Her single word clearly affected him more deeply than she expected because he moved up to offer her the kiss of a lifetime. Claiming her was right. She felt the sensation of being wholly consumed by mere lips.

“Such a sweet mouth.” He pulled back suddenly. “I’m going to fuck that too.” He grasped her head with both hands, holding her still, forcing her to look him in the eye.

“It won’t be some innocent exploration, sweetheart. No simple blowjob. I’ll take your mouth deep and hard. I want to feel the back of your throat and know no one’s ever taken you so deeply. You’ll suck me dry, swallow every drop and then you’ll lick me clean.”

His powerful words were triggering nerves in every part of her body. If he hoped to scare her away with his rough threats, he was failing miserably. It was all she could do to keep from begging him to take her in such a way right now.

Instead, all she said was, “yes.”

Growling at her response, he released her head, moving off her. For a moment she thought he would leave, but instead he lifted her and turned her onto her stomach in the center of the bed. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him rise and rummage through her dresser. After a few minutes, he returned with a scarf in his hands.

She moaned as he grabbed her wrists, secured them together and tied her to the wrought iron headboard.

“Yes, please!” She was desperate to feel him inside her again, but obviously he wasn’t convinced.

“That’s right,” he said harshly. “Beg me to fuck you. I’ll tie you up often and I will always make you beg. Will you? Will you beg me?”

“Yes,” she hissed, her body shifting into overdrive. “I’m begging you now. Please, Jon. Please fuck me.” Never, never had she been so hot, so needy.

Once again, she sensed the anger and frustration her answer created in him because his hands became even harder.

Reaching under her, he pulled her hips toward him as he tucked three pillows beneath her.

“Open your legs.”

Her legs fell apart of their own volition and she felt like shouting for joy when he knelt between them.

Finally.

Reprieve.

He ran his hands slowly up her inner thighs and she willed him to place his hands at her center, pushing her hips back as much as she could. A strong slap on her rear end stopped her.

“No.” He slapped the other cheek as well. This spanking was much harder than the lighter taps he’d tormented her with earlier. “Hold still.”

Using every ounce of strength left in her body, she forced herself to remain motionless. Her body was rebelling against her mind, demanding release, demanding movement, demanding him.

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She wanted to cry out in frustration but she knew he would not be moved from his present course. He was determined to save her despite the fact she only wanted to drown. Drown in his body, his words, his touch.

At last, his fingers landed at her drenched opening and she couldn’t hold back the cry of relief that escaped her lips.

“So ready for me.” His voice was tinged with awe. Swirling his finger in her depths, he gathered her juices. “I love your pussy.” He added another finger to the first and she responded to his touches and strong language. “Hot and wet and tight. I’ll take you every day. Most days more than once. Hard, fast fucks. Long, slow lovemaking. I’ll take you in every position your body will allow. On your back, your stomach, your knees, my lap. I’ll have you in every way.”

“Yes!” Another finger joined the others and she felt as if she would shatter. His fingers were driving her to orgasm. Just another moment and then—nothing. His fingers left her dangling on the edge of the cliff.

“God, don’t stop. You asshole!” She was screaming at him—rude, demanding, harsh cries. Her actions were completely out of character but she didn’t care. Sexual frustration was driving her crazy, out of her mind. Too much more of his delicious tormenting and she’d be a prime candidate for a rubber room.

“Now that you mention it…” His wet fingers found the puckered entrance to the part of her body no man had ever touched. Her movements stilled, a ripple of fear making its way to the forefront.

He pressed in to the first knuckle. “Have you ever taken a man here?”

Words escaped her as she shook her head.

“I will.” He shoved the rest of his finger in to the hilt and she shouted at his sudden, unexpected movement, more in surprise than pain.

“This is what you do to me. This is what I need from you. Everything.” His voice broke on the last word. “I can’t be anything other than who I really am with you.” He started to pull his finger out but she stopped his retreat, clenching her ass muscles around him.

Her voice was gone and her breathing labored at best. Still she struggled to give him the one word she knew he had to hear, the one word she wanted to say.

“Yes.”

“Don’t move.”

His hands moved up to her wrists, releasing her from the bonds.

She’d said “yes”.

The magnitude of her answer reverberated in his aching head. For two hours he’d lain with her, cursing his rough treatment of her, hating that his desires, his needs would be too much, too frightening. When he couldn’t stand the thought of hurting her again, he’d stumbled from bed, dressing quickly with every intention of walking out

31

Mari Carr and never returning. In his mind, he had written his resignation and put his townhouse up for sale. He had to save her from the darkness that swirled inside him.

Then he’d looked at her peaceful face at sleep and cursed himself again—this time for being a fool and a coward. Sitting down, he’d stared unseeing at the sky outside her window, willing himself to leave.

The phrase “damned if I do, damned if I don’t” crossed his mind. He didn’t know if he would have made it. She’d woken up and mistaken his meaning. How could he have been so callous? Of course, she’d blamed his near-desertion on her own supposed inadequacy. Hadn’t he just spent the entire evening—hell, the last year—trying to build up her wavering self-confidence?

He lifted her lightly and rolled her onto her back. He fell headfirst into her trusting gaze. “I want you again.” His voice was rough with his desire.

“Yes.” Again he was reminded of her amazing gift. She would submit to his demands and welcome him into her body. But would she really give him whatever he desired? Night’s face flashed through his mind but he dismissed it. This would be enough. It had to be enough.

Then he remembered the other concern that hovered. They hadn’t used protection the first time.

“Are you on the Pill?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I swear to you I’m safe and I’ll get tested if you want, but I refuse to put anything between my cock and your sweet pussy.”

“I’m clean too. I’ve only ever been with Adam and, well…we stopped having sex a long time before we stopped being married.”

“Good. Now that we have that out of the way…” He rose and quickly shed his clothing before returning to the bed. He reached down her body, gently separating her legs. Teasingly, he tugged at the soft hair he found there.

“You’re beautiful, Carly. I can’t get enough of you. Just lie back and let me take care of you.”

He watched her respond to the comforting tone of his voice.

“Are you sore?” he asked as he climbed on top of her and gently nudged the head of his penis into her wet entrance.

“I’m fine.”

Slowly, he pushed his thick erection into her, taking the time to savor each little gasp of pleasure from her lips, each subtle clenching of her muscles. He knew she wasn’t accustomed to a man of his size and he marveled at her ability to accommodate him without complaint. Regardless of the demands of his inner dominant, he knew he needed to be tender this time, to show her he could love her in every way she deserved.

Like a boat adrift on a calm ocean, he rocked inside her gently, taking the time to learn the secrets of her body. Soon he found her pleasure points and in each retreat and

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Retreat return, he made sure to stroke them. His lips worshipped hers while one hand tenderly fondled her clit. Wrapping his free hand lightly in her hair, he could sense how close she was.

“Together, Carly,” he whispered against her cheek. “Always together.”

Accompanying his words with the movements she most needed, he wrapped his arms around her as they dove into the abyss as one.

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Chapter Five

It was late Sunday night when Jon finally returned to his own townhouse. He and

Carly had spent the entire weekend in her bed, neither able to pull away from the other.

Finally, with the thought of returning to work in the morning, they’d been forced to rise and separate.

He entered his house with a grin on his face and was so preoccupied he failed to notice Reilly sitting on his couch until he was halfway through the living room.

“I could have killed you seven different ways by now, my boy. What’s wrong with you?” Reilly studied his face. “Ahh, I see. Did you and Ms. James have a nice weekend?

I’ve been here for hours.”

“Dammit Reilly. I could have you arrested for breaking and entering.”

Reilly laughed at his empty threat. “You haven’t changed that much, Jon. You wouldn’t call the police if you were bleeding to death.”

“You obviously haven’t changed either. You still don’t understand the meaning of the word no

.”

“Cassie has upped the ante.” Reilly didn’t even acknowledge his continued refusal.

Picking up a file from the coffee table, he pulled out a photo of a young girl who attended Jon’s school. “Trisha Jackson, seventeen. I believe you know her?”

“She’s in my third period.” His face felt frozen as he looked at the photo of the shy girl who sat in the first row, third seat back. “What’s happened to her?”

He held his breath, terrified as his mind drew a picture of what his mother and her followers were capable of.

“So far, nothing.”

Reilly’s answer caught him off guard. “What do you mean?”

“Night will be here soon. He’s been observing the comings and goings on the compound from a secure post on the side of the mountain for nearly two weeks. As far as we can tell, Cassandra has changed the game plan.”

“So she isn’t reorganizing the Commitment Church. I told you.” He felt as if he was finally able to take his first deep breath since Reilly’s appearance in his classroom on

Friday.

Reilly sighed heavily. “I never disagreed with that, and simply because she isn’t claiming religion as her cause doesn’t mean her actions aren’t highly suspect and just as dangerous.”

Reilly was unable to add more as the door to Jon’s townhouse slammed open and

Night tromped in. He was covered in dirt and smelled as if he hadn’t bathed in weeks.

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Neither fact stopped Night from crossing straight to him and wrapping him up in a bear hug that would have crushed the ribs of a smaller man.

“Good Lord, Night! You smell as if you’ve been sleeping in a sewer. Let go of me, you idiot.” They stepped back, laughing. “God I’ve missed you.” Jon found the fact easy to admit. For ten years, they’d served their country and attempted to make their amends for past crimes together. They’d been partners, never apart, each man trusting the other with his life.

Deciding to quit the UIA to go to college was one of the hardest decisions Jon had ever made, especially as he knew Night wasn’t finished paying his own personal dues.

Only seeing Night sporadically over the last few years had been tough and he’d missed the close companionship.

“I suppose Reilly’s been filling you in on your dear old mom.” Night’s easygoing grin was not what it appeared to be. Jon could see the dark circles beneath his friend’s eyes and there were new, clearly defined lines in his forehead put there—no doubt—by stress.

“What the hell were you thinking? Taking on this mission.” Night scowled at his words and Jon knew his friend didn’t appreciate the comment.

“That’s funny,” Night said. “I’m wondering why the hell you aren’t taking on this mission.”

Jon ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Dammit, Night. I’ll tell you what I just told Reilly. I’m through with that life. I’m not going back.”

“Not even if it means finally seeing Cassandra put behind bars where she belongs?”

Jon knew it had always bothered Night that Cassandra had escaped without paying for her part in the cult’s crimes. While he’d cut his losses and attempted to put the past behind him, Night seemed to take some perverse pleasure in wallowing in the memories.

He sighed. This was clearly going to be a long night. “Not even then.”

“Did you tell him about that girl?” Night was looking at Reilly and pointing at the picture of Trisha Jackson.

“Not everything.” Reilly appeared more than happy to turn the reins of this discussion over to Night and once again, Jon was taken aback by how much his mentor had aged. How tired the tireless man suddenly seemed.

Night started to plant himself on the couch but Jon halted him with a strong grip on his shirt. “You can stand up and tell me what you’ve come to say now or you can shower and then sit down to talk. You sit on that couch and I may as well take it out for garbage collection in the morning.”

Night grinned and took a quick sniff of his shirt. “Can’t smell myself anymore. Fine.

Your student and her mother arrived at the compound this morning with all their belongings in tow.”

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“I thought you said Cassandra wasn’t starting the Commitment Church back up again?”

Night grimaced. “If you can believe it, I think what she has planned this time is even worse.”

Jon shook his head. Quite frankly, nothing could be worse than the cult’s practices.

“A sign was hung up at the front entrance of the house today.”

“What does the sign say?” Jon asked.

Night seemed to struggle over the next words. “Olson Mountain Women’s Retreat

Center.”

He tried to grasp what Night was saying, but he was obviously still missing several pieces to the puzzle. “Sounds innocuous enough.”

Night’s frown deepened. “She’s advertising the place as a safe haven for women in trouble. Wives suffering from domestic abuse, penniless young widows, runaway teen girls. Are you getting the picture, Jon?”

Unfortunately, he was. Cassandra didn’t have an altruistic bone in her body.

Clearly she was luring the women there for some unsavory reason.

“You must have more than this. What’s she doing to the women?”

Night slammed his hand against the wall. “Fuck if I know! I’ve watched the place for weeks and I can’t see anything illegal happening. I’ve watched over twenty women check in—some with kids—but that’s it.”

“That’s it?” Jon felt a vague unease as he considered what could be happening within the compound.

“That’s it. They go in and they don’t come out again. It’s not like last time, Jon. No one is ever outside the main house except the guards who, by the way, are armed to the teeth. I’ve seen women walk in with small children, but the kids are never outside playing. No one’s tending the gardens or working in the outbuildings. It’s like they all go inside and drop into a black hole and I’ve never, in two weeks of surveillance, seen hide nor hair of Cassandra.”

“They could be using the inner courtyard. That would explain why you don’t see them outside.” The compound was reminiscent of a medieval castle. The main building formed a square with a small courtyard in the center. He struggled against his next words, fighting not to utter them but losing the battle. “So what’s your plan?”

Reilly answered his question. “Cassandra has no idea the two of you were involved in the cult’s downfall last time. As far as she knows, the state took you into custody along with the other rescued children. I’ve been feeding her the same false intelligence the rest of the world has received about your whereabouts these past few years. She knows you’re teaching here at the high school.”

“And what has Night supposedly been doing all these years?” He fought against the nausea attacking him.

My mother knows where I am?

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Night laughed. “I always knew you were the cult favorite. While you get to be a big college boy, I’m a lowly auto mechanic with a bit of a rap sheet.”

“We don’t know what Cassandra’s plans are, but we do expect—well, let’s say we hope—she’ll contact one or both of you. After all, she’s moved back here knowing you live in the area, Jon.” Reilly pulled yet another folder from his briefcase. “We thought it might be best to give her two options.”

Night slapped him on the back. “She can either go for the golden boy, AKA you, or she can pick the bad boy standing behind door number two—me.”

“What makes you think she’ll call us?”

Reilly grimaced. “It seems Cassandra is quite proud of the way she raised you, Jon.

Brags about you and Night and the special training you received from her. She seems to think you both had a promising future among the BDSM set.”

Jon glanced up quickly.

“Yes,” Reilly continued, “her sexual preferences still run that way and we know it, but you can’t arrest a woman for being a Dominatrix if she’s surrounded by willing slaves. And believe me, the men who come to her are all too willing to do her bidding.”

“And you think she’s luring these women in for what?”

“Prostitution. Sex slavery. The market is there, you know that. If that’s her game this time, you can be damn sure she’ll want you and Night by her side as she establishes this new business.”

“Just think, Jon. You and Mommy and your new family business.” Night seemed hung up on Reilly’s phrase. “Yep, you’re right up there with the Rockefellers.

Enterprising Americans.”

Reilly disregarded Night’s joke without a glance. “I’ve set Night up as an employee at a local garage. Story will be that Night was getting into too many fights and running with a rough crowd in the city and you convinced him to move closer to home.”

Jon choked at the word “home”. “This place isn’t really home.”

Reilly gave him a sympathetic smile. “Son, I’m afraid it is. Seems neither you nor your mother could stay away from that damn mountain when all was said and done.”

“Home,” Jon heard Night mutter. “Always wanted one of those. Think I’ll go get that shower now.” Night stumbled up the steps before halting at the top and yelling back down. “Hey, how about we order some pizza? I’m starving.”

Jon shook his head at Night’s casual attitude toward the case. Of course, he’d had weeks to get used to the idea of seeing Cassandra again.

“Teachers are supposed to help their students. That girl needs your help.” Reilly gestured to the picture lying on the coffee table.

Glancing at it, his vision went hazy as he remembered another young girl, much like this one. The image of her face replaced Trisha Jackson’s in the photo.

Sarah.

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Sarah’s face was the one he still saw in his nightmares even though it had been nearly two decades since her brutal murder.

Shoving the painful thought away, his anger bubbled up to full boil and he struck out at his mentor. How dare Reilly shove all of this in his face? Home! What the fuck did he know about home?

“This won’t work. Take your fucking pictures and get the hell out of here.” He was furious at having his past mistakes thrown back in his face by a man he looked up to like a father. For God’s sake, it was Reilly who had dragged him out of that hellhole and given his life a purpose. Taught him to forgive himself for the past and move on.

“Ah Jon, I thought you’d gotten past that,” Reilly said softly. “That girl’s death wasn’t your fault.”

He sat down heavily on the couch. “You’re wrong.”

“How many years are you going to carry Sarah’s death on your shoulders?”

He glared at Reilly. “As long as I live. For as long as I fucking live.”

“Rex killed her.” Reilly’s frustrated tone proved this conversation was only too familiar after being repeated so many times. “You weren’t in the room. You weren’t there.” Reilly’s voice was full of concern. “You were eleven years old when your mother dragged you into that snake pit. How were you supposed to understand what was really going on?”

Jon grimaced. Reilly’s question was one he’d asked himself a thousand times before. Every time, his mind answered with a resounding, “I should have known!”

“You were a young boy, simply following the examples set by the adults in your life. Adults who should have been protecting you.”

“Not corrupting me.” His voice was dull, lifeless. He’d heard it all before.

Suspected of money laundering, gunrunning, prostitution and drugs, Reverend

Thomas’ cult came to the attention of several high-ranking officials in Washington who thought perhaps they needed to take a closer look. Posing as a believer, Reilly had managed to dupe not only Rex, but Cassandra as well. He’d become involved in every aspect of the cult, attempting to gather the evidence needed to close it down and put the leaders in prison for the rest of their lives.

What Reilly had not expected to find was Jon and Night. Two teenage holy terrors.

Reilly had befriended them while slowly exposing them to the seedy underside of their cult life. Their parents had brainwashed them in insidious ways—keeping the illegal aspects of the organization hidden and using them to do their dirty work by feeding their over-inflated teen egos with delusions of grandeur.

“Jon, you need to get past this. I need you on this case, but only if you can keep your head in the game. You were a young, trusting kid. The minute the truth about

Rex’s and Cassandra’s activities was revealed, you did the right thing.”

The right thing. Rex and Cassandra never saw it coming. One night, he’d snuck into

Rex’s office and gathered every damning piece of evidence he could find. In exchange, 38

Retreat he’d wanted Reilly to assure him that before the law was brought in, he would get

Night and Sarah out and ensure that their names were never mentioned in connection with the cult. Reilly would only consent to his deal if he and Night agreed to train and join the agency. He’d reluctantly agreed, while Night jumped at the chance.

Together, they’d planned and executed the downfall of the Commitment Church.

And in the end, the only person he’d truly saved was himself.

“Jon, you’ve served your time, done your penance.”

“Really? Sarah’s dead and Night is so wrapped up in his desire for revenge, he’s forgetting to live.”

“Good Lord, man!” Reilly’s voice rose with his anger. “You aren’t perfect. No one is. The difference is, most people learn from their mistakes and move on. You wear yours like a fucking scarlet letter!”

He nearly grinned at his mentor’s apt allusion to the Hawthorne novel he just finished teaching.

“You’re a good man. One I’m proud to call a friend,” Reilly continued. “Now get off your high horse and join the rest of us mortals down here on Earth. Stop worrying about Night. He’s an adult and responsible for his own actions. If he thinks vengeance against Cassandra is the only way he can move on, then that’s his problem. Hell, with genetics like his, it’s a miracle revenge is all he’s after!”

“What does that say about me? My mother’s genes would have given Hitler’s a run for their money.”

“Obviously you inherited all your personality traits from your father. Start thinking about this with your head. Not your heart.”

Heart. Images of the weekend resurfaced.

“I spent the whole weekend with Carly. She’s a nice, normal girl and I’m crazy about her.”

“Does she know about your past?”

Jon shook his head.

“And how long will you be able to maintain this normal relationship Jon, without the truth?”

He laughed bitterly. “Yeah, that would be a fun conversation. I love you, Carly. Did

I ever tell you about my childhood in a cult? How I raped women for three years under the guise of purifying their souls?”

“Dammit. You didn’t rape anybody! The truth of the matter is those women joined the cult with their eyes wide open, well aware of the expectations. The majority of them joined for the sex and merely tolerated the religious overtones. They welcomed your attentions.”

“Sarah.” Jon’s voice broke on the name he hadn’t spoken aloud in years.

“You tried to save her.” Reilly placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

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Sarah was his first love. Despite the fact he’d had women throwing themselves at him for most of his teenage years, Jon had taken one look at Sarah McCormick and fallen head over heels in love. A master at bedroom games, he actually had to work up the nerve to steal a first innocent kiss from her. Then Reilly opened his eyes to the truth of his idyllic existence.

“If I hadn’t betrayed Rex, she’d still be alive. I thought I was some all-powerful avenging angel.”

“You were young and in love. If you want the truth,” Reilly’s eyes were distant with remembering, “I’ve always blamed myself for Sarah’s death.”

“What?”

“I was the trained professional. I didn’t realize Rex knew about your teenage crush or that he suspected my duality. I thought Sarah would be safe until we could smuggle her out.”

“Reilly—”

“No. I should have realized Rex and Cassandra were on to me the minute Cassie left the compound. I should have moved Sarah to safety then.”

Cassandra’s escape prior to the cult’s downfall was the only thing that had saved her in the aftermath. She’d gone straight to a mental hospital and checked herself in, claiming she’d been kidnapped and held against her will for years. Stockholm syndrome was the doctor’s diagnosis, when witnesses testified to her seemingly willing participation. She’d undergone counseling and was quietly released only nine months after the trials that sentenced Rex and his fellow leaders to life.

“Rex stayed behind at Cassandra’s insistence.” He recalled the conversation he’d overheard the night she left. “They didn’t know it was you. Cassandra assured Rex they’d catch the infiltrator and be back in business in a matter of days. I think she knew the end was in sight and Rex was her fall guy.” It still made him sick to his stomach to think of his mother’s heartless betrayal. She’d sold Rex Thomas down the river to save her faithless neck and Rex, fool that he was, had swallowed her lies like candy.

“You weren’t to blame for Sarah’s death,” Jon said quietly. That blame lay solely on his shoulders—and it was the one secret he’d never told another living soul, not even

Night.

“Neither were you.” His mentor seemed determined to have the last word on the subject and, unwilling to discuss it further, Jon let the subject drop.

“What happens when Carly starts to ask questions about your past?”

“Like a dog with a bone, aren’t you? She doesn’t need to know anything about that.” His voice wavered as he spoke. Fact was, Carly was inquisitive and she did deserve to know what kind of man she was getting involved with, but he couldn’t tell her the truth. The whole truth.

“You would lie to the woman you love for the rest of your life? How do you expect to keep something like that up?”

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“For Carly,” Jon insisted, “I can do anything. Even lie.” Despite the strength of his conviction, Reilly’s words echoed in his conscience. Could he lie to her? Forever?

“And what happens if Cassandra calls you? There’s a good chance she will, you know. She still believes you were true to her cause until the end. That you are the son she raised in her image and she’ll want you with her in this venture.”

“And when I turn her down, she’ll call Night. He was there beside me all the way and as Rex’s son, she’ll see the potential in involving him. You know as well as I do, he’s praying he gets the call.”

“You were partners, Jon. Cassandra won’t be happy with only one of you. She’ll want the pair.”

His temper rose again. “She’ll have to make do. I’m not throwing away everything

I’ve worked so hard for and I really don’t give a shit about Cassandra Walker! As far as

I’m concerned, she’s dead.”

Reilly shook his head and he could see that, as far as his former boss was concerned, this conversation was far from finished. “Dammit. We need your help to crack this case. Night can’t go in there alone. It’s too dangerous. I agree with one thing you’ve said tonight. It   time to move on. Stop wallowing in self-recriminations and is guilt. Bring down Cassie and it all goes away.”

“Don’t you think I wish that was true? But it’s not, Reilly. You’ve been dangling that fucking forgiveness carrot in front of our noses for years. Solve this case and all your sins will be absolved. Fuck that! Maybe Cassandra goes to jail. What happens when five or ten years from now, another former cult member crawls out of the woodwork and starts wreaking havoc?”

“Cassie is it. She’s the end.”

“She won’t let us back in as easily as you think, Reilly. Cassandra trusts no one. Not even me or Night. You know that. She’ll demand a test of our loyalty.”

“She’ll ask us to train one of the women sexually as proof we’re still committed to the cause.” Night’s words came from the stairs. He glanced over and noticed his friend had helped himself to a pair of his sweatpants and a T-shirt. “If she   starting up some is sort of prostitution ring, she’ll definitely use sex as the test.”

“We don’t know for sure that anything sexual is going on in there. It could be just what the sign says—a retreat center.” Even as he spoke the words, Jon knew them for the farce they were.

Night didn’t even bother to contradict him. He merely burst into laughter.

Reilly didn’t seem to share Night’s humor. “I can only begin to guess what

Cassandra is doing to those women.”

Jon glanced once again at the picture of the young girl. “Reilly, I really can’t do this.

I’m sorry.”

“Jon, you and Night could enter that compound tomorrow with very few questions asked. Hell, your mother would roll out the red carpet for you. We’ll never get an agent

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“I’m a teacher, Reilly. My James Bond days are over.” Carly had told him he looked like the superspy. Little did she know how close to the truth she’d really come.

“Your what?”

“Nothing. My answer is no.”

In uncharacteristic anger, Reilly grabbed his folder as he stalked to the front door.

“Then God help the young girls at your school because you can be damn sure more than a few of them will suffer for your decision.” With that parting shot, Reilly slammed the door—on his house and on his normal future.

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Chapter Six

Monday came too early and Jon struggled to focus on the lesson he was teaching.

He and Night had spent most of the evening reminiscing about their days with the agency and catching up on the past year and a half. Both of them were careful to avoid any mention of Cassandra and her newest project. He knew Night was anxiously awaiting her call, desperate to get back onto the compound to exact his revenge once and for all.

He also suspected Reilly knew a hell of a lot more than he was sharing with them. It wouldn’t be the first time their boss had strung them along with only bits and pieces of the puzzle. And if Reilly was correct, what would he do if and when his mother called?

The mere thought of setting foot on the mountain again made him want to throw up.

The day had been long and he was physically and mentally exhausted. The image of Trisha Jackson’s empty desk had haunted him since third period. Where was she right now? What was happening to her? Glancing at the clock for the tenth time in as many minutes, he finally threw in the towel.

“Let’s call it a day on grammar, eh?” There was an audible murmur of approval until he added, “Get out your literature books and turn to page seventy-two. Begin reading the short story. What you don’t finish is for homework along with the questions at the end. And folks, when I say answer in complete sentences, I mean the kind with a subject and a predicate. Got it?”

Stumbling to his desk, he tried to concentrate on grading the essays before him. He hadn’t made one mark when the final bell rang.

“Bye, Mr. Walker.”

“See you tomorrow, Paula.”

He watched the petite blonde girl meet her best friend in the hallway. The two girls put their heads together and immediately started chatting and giggling. Reilly’s words from the night before drifted back to him. As painful as it was for him to admit, he knew it was only a matter of time before more young girls were dragged to Cassandra’s so-called retreat by their desperate mothers.

Glancing out the window, he noticed the storm clouds that hovered all day had gotten even darker. Rubbing his forehead, he tried to ward off the headache that had grown worse as the day progressed.

“Knock, knock.” He turned toward the voice and it felt as if the sun had finally come out.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes.”

“Looks like you aren’t exaggerating. What’s wrong? Headache?” Carly asked.

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“Just a little one. Shut the door and come here.” He stood up and crooked a finger at her.

Grinning, she followed his orders, practically skipping across the room to throw herself into his arms. Dipping his head, he met her lips in a pleasant kiss.

“I missed you today,” she said.

“Sorry about lunch. I worked through it.” Usually he took his sandwich and ate with her in the teacher’s lounge, but today he hadn’t been able to summon the energy to walk down the hall.

“Doesn’t look like you’ve made much progress.” She pointed to the large stack of unmarked essays on his desk.

“Can’t seem to concentrate.”

“Join the club. My head’s been in the clouds all day. Last night was hell. The bed seemed so cold and empty without your big, strong,” she paused for effect, glancing down at the front of his pants, “arms around me.”

He laughed at her sexy teasing. He’d been lonely too. Tossing and turning, he’d spent most of the night wishing he could lose himself in her sweet body again. “Keep talking like that and I’ll toss you up on that desk.”

“Promises, promises. Actually, I’m here to see if you want to come to dinner tonight.”

“As long as you’re the appetizer, main course and dessert.” He placed a hand on her back, guiding her out of the room. “Hurry. I’m starving.”

* * * * *

The second they entered her house, Jon shut the door behind them. With firm hands on her shoulders, he pushed her to her knees.

She looked up at him, surprise warring with desire in her gaze. “Jon?”

“Suck me,” he demanded and he was painfully aware of his cold, demanding tone.

Taking a deep breath, he struggled to add “please” in a kinder voice.

She gave him a sweet, nervous smile and reached up to unfasten his trousers. Again he fought the demons fighting to get out, overwhelmed by the desire to bury himself deep in her throat.

She pulled out his hard erection and he fought back a groan when her tongue lightly swiped her lower lip as she looked at him. He ran his fingers through her wavy hair and pulled her toward him.

Just as she was about to take him inside her mouth, he tilted her head upward, forcing her to look at his face. With a questioning glance, she paused.

“I can’t…I need…” He wasn’t sure how to express what he wanted in words, but

Carly seemed to understand. She leaned forward and engulfed his turgid flesh in her hot, wet mouth.

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Without so much as a kiss or soft touch, he fucked her mouth. It was as if he truly believed she could suck every bit of darkness out of him. He felt her fighting against his fast pace and deep thrusts and he knew she’d never given a blowjob like this before.

“Open your throat,” he said.

She gagged slightly and he eased up. “You can do this, Carly. I need you to do this.

Please.”

His words seemed to work their way into her psyche and when he thrust in again, she took him to the hilt as the head of his erection brushed the back of her throat.

“That’s it, baby. Oh God, that feels so good!”

Words escaped him as he continued to pound into her sweet, hot mouth. Carly worked his cock like a pro. He felt her hiss as his fingers tightened in her hair. He was hurting her, but he couldn’t seem to loosen his grip. Glancing down, he sensed she liked the edge of pain. She reached down to grasp his balls in one of her hands and it was his turn to hiss as she squeezed. The pleasure and pain of the act was the catalyst he needed as his cock exploded, spraying the back of her throat with what felt like a ton of hot semen.

“Drink it,” he demanded. “God, take it all. Take it all.” Carly complied and for several seconds, she simply held him in her mouth as he struggled to come back to earth.

The second he regained his senses, shame threatened to swallow him whole and he carried her to her bed.

“Oh Blue Eyes,” he murmured, his voice betraying his remorse and regret. “Jesus, I

didn’t mean to use you like that.”

Carly giggled and he was shocked by the sound.

“That was so incredibly hot. Dammit, Jon, you make me wanton and wild and I

love it!”

He grinned at her enthusiastic response. “Still, I think I owe you one.”

“Or two,” she teased. “Or maybe three or four. I was pretty good down there.”

He laughed but took care with her, desperate to make up for the roughness of his previous effort. He made love to her gently, covering her with soft, wet kisses.

Afterward, they cuddled.

“Mmm. I think I promised you dinner.” Carly ran her hand across his bare chest.

“So you did. What do you say we order a pizza and fuck again? I don’t really like the idea of you getting out of this bed.”

“No, no more pizza. That’s all we ate this weekend. I am making you a proper dinner.”

He started to complain but at that exact moment, his stomach growled and Carly laughed. Bending down, she placed a quick kiss on his abdomen. “I bought steaks.”

“Damn, why didn’t you say so? Come on, I’ll help.”

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As they cooked together, Jon tried to push back the niggling, depressing emotion that wouldn’t let him go. He didn’t deserve her, didn’t deserve this happiness. Jesus. If he were a stronger man, he would get the hell out of this town—away from her and his fucking past—before both of them were destroyed completely.

“Penny for your thoughts,” she said, jerking him from his disturbing concerns.

“Actually, I was considering tossing you up on that counter and having my way with you again.” The lie came easily to him and he figured a lifetime of practice at deception was bound to lead to perfection.

“You, Mr. Walker, have a one-track mind,” she teased.

“I warned you right from the start, Carly.”

“Yeah,” she acknowledged. “You did, but let’s eat first. We’ve got all night for what you have in mind.”

Her words triggered another thought and he sighed. “Actually, we don’t. My friend

Night showed up late last night. He’s at my place right now. I really need to leave after dinner.”

Carly placed her hands on her hips and he could see she was clearly annoyed.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I would have invited him to dinner tonight as well.”

He grinned before swatting her playfully on the ass. “If you’d done that, I wouldn’t have gotten my appetizer.”

“You plan to introduce us, don’t you?”

Her question left him instantly regretting the fact that he’d started this conversation. “I’m not sure how long he’ll be staying,” he hedged.

Carly’s face fell a bit and she shrugged sadly before she turned around to continue mixing the salad. Shit, there was no way he could confess to her his reason for not wanting her and Night to meet. How could he tell her he was afraid the image of her with his best friend would lead to desires he’d never be able to fight?

Walking over to her, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back to his chest.

He nipped lightly at her ear and did the one thing he sensed he would be doing a lot of in regards to his new love. He lied. “I’ll bring him around one day. I’m warning you, though, he thinks he’s a regular lady killer.”

She smiled at his words and turned in his arms. “I can’t wait to meet him. You’ve never told me anything about your past and I have to say, I’ve always wondered.

Besides Night, you’ve never even mentioned any other friends or relatives.”

Jon shrugged and tried to keep his face from giving away the turmoil swamping his insides. “Not much to tell. Night is my only connection to the past. My dad died when I

was just a kid and I don’t talk to my mother.”

He could see a million questions lining up on her lips, but he cut them all off with a deep kiss.

“I’m starving, Blue Eyes. What do you say we get this dinner out of the way, so you can feed my hunger.”

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Chapter Seven

When Jon let himself into his townhouse later that night, he immediately sensed

Night’s presence in the darkened living room. Clearly his friend was not planning to return to his observation post on the mountain anytime soon.

“Hello, Jon. How’s the girlfriend?”

“Why are you sitting in the dark?”

“You know me, bud. Happier in the dark. Easier to hide my sins without some harsh light beating down.”

“Have you been drinking?” Jon turned on the light. Night’s legs were stretched out and resting on the coffee table. He noticed the half-empty bottle of Jack Daniel’s in his hands.

“Making yourself at home, aren’t you?” Jon dropped down to sit beside his friend and grabbed the bottle. Taking a long swig, he handed it back. “No phone call, I

presume?”

“Not a peep. Old bitch is certainly taking her time calling in the recruits.” Night took another drink of whiskey and passed the bottle back.

Jon studied his friend’s face. The last four years had chiseled it down to a sharp caricature of its former self. He’d lost weight, yet Night more than made up for it in muscle mass. Always handsome in a clean-cut, all-American-boy way, he now looked more like a cross between Rambo and a Ken doll. His hair was longer than he’d ever seen it. The burnished gold mass of waves reached past his shoulders. The deep lines cut into his face could only have been put there by lots of time in the sun and hard living.

He should know. He saw the same lines on his face every morning in the mirror.

“You need a haircut.”

Night laughed. “So do you. So how is darling Carly?”

Jon took another drink and let the whiskey work its soothing way into his soul. He was bone-weary and the hot liquor was going a long way toward loosening up the pain.

“Carly is amazing.” He leaned back against the couch and let the thought of her wash through him.

Night’s eyebrows flew up. “Amazing, eh? Damn man, you got it bad.”

He smiled. “Yeah, I do. She’s beautiful and funny. She looks at a person and sees everything good inside.”

“She sees something good inside you?” Night’s tone was teasing, but Jon answered anyway.

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“Incredibly enough, she does.”

Jon looked at his friend and noticed a flash of pain cross his face before he hid it behind the bottle.

“Wonder if she’d see anything good in me?” Night mumbled the rhetorical question and Jon had no doubt he’d never have uttered it if he hadn’t been three sheets to the wind.

“Don’t you think it’s time you move on? Get the hell out of the UIA, maybe go to school. Find a normal job and a normal life before this one eats you alive.”

“Be like you?” Night’s words were harsh and anger filled his gaze. “Just give up and let Cassandra win? Let that fucking bitch start all over again, destroying lives while we sit on our asses and pretend to be normal? Screw that! You and I will never be normal. Never.”

“If I really believed that, I’d be dead by now. Unlike you, I refuse to wallow in the dirt of our past.” Jon’s hands were shaking and it was all he could do not to hit his best friend. Night’s words were cutting too close to the vein, too close to his true fears.

“You think because you’ve got this job, this girlfriend, the past just disappears.

Well, I’ve got a newsflash for you, the past will catch up to you and when it does, you can kiss your normal life goodbye. Let’s see what good Carly spots inside you when she finds out she’s hooked up with a closet Dom with a taste for bondage—who learned all his tricks from dear old Mommy and her cult buddies. Better yet, what do you think she’ll say when she realizes the only way you’ll ever be truly complete and happy with a woman is when we take her together?”

As soon as the angry words passed Night’s lips, Jon watched his friend’s face go pale. Speechless, he struggled to find words to deny the truth.

“Forget it.” Night leaned back and closed his eyes. “I’m drunk and saying stupid shit. Forget it all.”

“I can’t forget it, Night. I’ve never forgotten any of it. Is that what you think?

Because I’m trying to move on with my life I’ve erased every memory? Christ, I should be so lucky.”

Night sat motionless, but now that the vault was open, Jon couldn’t let the subject die.

“Funny thing is, even if I could erase the past, I wouldn’t wipe away one single minute of our time together. Night, you’re more than my best friend. You’re closer to me than a brother and I swear to God, you know me better than I know myself. Maybe I

do try too hard to be normal, to escape the way we were raised—and I’m pretty damn sure it’s the height of abnormality to want you in bed with me and Carly. The hell of it is, I   want you there.” Night’s eyes flew open at his admission, but Jon wasn’t finished do with his confession. “Problem is, she   normal. And regardless of my desires, I

is couldn’t…I

wouldn’t do that to her.”

“What if she wanted it?”

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“Jesus, Night! How do you propose I bring that topic up?”

“Ask her?”

“She’s never even met you. You’re a stranger to her.”

“So let me get to know her.” Night leaned forward and Jon shook his head, more out of frustration than denial.

“No.” He couldn’t let this discussion go any further. They were passing into dangerous territory. If Jon let himself believe he could have it all, it would destroy the tenuous relationship he’d managed to build with Carly thus far. As it was, the entire thing was built on a foundation of sand and he knew it wouldn’t take more than a light breeze to blow her right back out of his life again. And the fact was, he couldn’t imagine a life without her in it. If he had to hold back a bit of himself, so be it. He would be whatever she needed him to be, even if it threatened to destroy that precious connection he shared with Night.

He watched Night’s face close up against him and he fought the overwhelming feeling of regret. They sat in silence for several minutes while he struggled to find the words to explain.

“Night—”

“No, Jon. Let it drop. Please.”

He nodded, certain anything else he said would make things worse and he was grateful when Night changed the subject quickly.

“Every day Cassandra doesn’t call means another woman…” Night’s voice died out before he could continue the thought, but his observation was the same one that threatened to pound every bit of sanity out of Jon as well.

He’d spent most of the evening trying to lose himself in Carly’s body. As if by burying himself in her warm, tight heat, he could soak all of her happiness into himself.

He’d used her hard and he was ashamed of himself. Not that she’d complained. She’d seemed to enjoy his rough treatment and continually welcomed his advances.

“Maybe we should plan our own reunion,” Night suggested and Jon saw where his friend’s thoughts had strayed.

“If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad?” Jon asked. A faint glimmer of desperation shone in Night’s eyes. While Jon struggled to forget the past, to put all the pain and fear behind him, Night never stopped remembering. He refused to let the old wounds heal. Rather, he kept them open and sore. While Jon dismissed Cassandra as a bad memory, Night had watched the woman’s every move for years. No doubt it was

Night who’d alerted Reilly to Cassandra’s return to Olson Mountain.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Night. It’s bound to make Cassandra suspicious. Let her come to you. Reilly is sure it’s just a matter of time now.”

Night stood up and clenched his fists. Jon was surprised by the action. For years, he was the one to fight his hot temper while Night took everything in calm, cool, collected stride.

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“How can you sit there and let this happen again? Christ! I thought I knew you better. The friend I love, the one I grew up respecting and admiring, would never sit on his fucking ass and let innocent women get hurt!”

“Don’t you throw that shit at my door!” He was on his feet now as well, leaning toward Night. They were both tall, although he had an inch or two on his best friend. “I

already fought that goddamn battle once. And look what it cost me, Night? I lost fifteen years of my life trying to make amends and Sarah—” His voice broke on her name. “I

killed her. I killed her, Night.”

His anguished words seemed to take all the wind out of Night’s sails. “Rex killed

Sarah.”

Before he could stop the words that had haunted him for nearly half his life, Jon found them falling from his lips. “I raped her, Night. I raped Sarah.”

Night didn’t respond to his confession. He merely put a strong hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down to the couch. Night sat down as well and handed him the nearly empty bottle of whiskey. He drained it in one swallow.

“Now,” Night said after he’d composed himself. “Tell me. All of it.”

He began with just two words. The two words he’d never uttered to anyone before.

“Rex knew.”

“What did he know?”

“All of it. He knew about Sarah and he knew I was going to betray him…

had

betrayed him. I’d stolen the documents from the office and delivered them to Reilly. I

was coming to find you. Rex stopped me outside one of the training rooms in the dungeon. I didn’t know he knew about my betrayal. He pulled me into the room. It was dark and he was laughing. It sounded like he’d come unhinged.” Jon shuddered as he thought about how Rex’s cruel face looked just before he shut the door to the dim, damp room.

Jon continued to talk, the words coming easily despite so many years trapped inside him. “I knew time was running out. I needed to get to you quickly before the

UIA agents burst in. Reilly warned me not to be inside the compound when the bust went down. He said there would be shooting and tear gas and I was afraid you and

Sarah would be killed in the crossfire.”

“I found my own way out of the compound.” Night’s words were laced with the insult he apparently felt toward his ability to fend for himself. “Found you as well, if I’m not mistaken.”

Jon laughed even though nothing felt funny. “I know, Night, but I felt an obligation to protect you. Sue me.”

Night tried to smile at the joke, but his lips faltered on the action. “What happened in the training room?”

Jon’s heart constricted as his memories returned to that dark room.

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“Come in. I have a rare treat for you tonight,” Rex said as he pulled him into the room and locked the door behind him.

“Master Reverend, I’m afraid I’m needed elsewhere.” Jon’s reply sounded nervous and rushed. It was vitally important he not betray his fear. Rex would be able to smell it from a mile away.

“You are needed here

. I have commanded your presence and no one else’s needs take precedence over mine.” Rex’s voice was harsh and angry and Jon knew he’d made a big mistake.

“Of course not, Master Reverend. I beg your forgiveness.”

“That’s better,” Rex replied. “Besides, my dear boy, I’m offering you the chance of a lifetime in exchange for a few moments of your time.”

Jon was immediately suspicious of Rex’s tone, but he was under the gun. He had to get out of this room, find Night and hook up with Reilly and Sarah outside the compound. The four of them had to get the hell out of Dodge—now.

“Anything, Master Reverend. I am happy to serve.” The false words tasted bitter on his tongue.

Rex led him to a table. As his eyes adjusted to the near darkness, Jon was able to make out the woman chained there. Her face was covered and he could barely make out her shape. His heart leapt to his throat as he realized what Rex wanted from him.

“Train this slave, Master Jon. She’s been very disobedient and she needs a strong hand.”

Jon froze and tried to come up with an excuse, any reason why he should be relieved from this duty. The clock was ticking and if he didn’t leave this room within the next fifteen minutes, chances were good he, Night and Sarah would all perish in the gunfight.

“Master Reverend,” he began.

“I sense your hesitation. Is something wrong? Is there something you need to confess to your father?”

He knows.

The words drilled their way into Jon’s consciousness like a jackhammer. He knew about his betrayal. Before he could answer, Rex crossed to the end of the table. “Let me make this very simple for you. Either you fuck this woman right now or I’ll cut her throat. Sinners must be punished.”

Jon heard the woman’s faint whimper and watched her struggle against her bonds.

Rex’s knife pressed more deeply and he could just make out the small trickle of blood running down her neck.

Rape or death? For a brief moment, he considered what the woman would prefer.

Would she rather be raped and live a long life, or die a painful death at Rex’s hand?

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Without further thought, Jon untied the drawstring on his pants, crawling slowly over the woman and placing his cock at her opening. She was dry and he didn’t want to hurt her.

He swallowed heavily, trying to dislodge the bile stuck in his throat.

Quickly he slid down and ran his tongue against the woman’s soft pussy. If he had to hurt her, the least he could do was try to minimize the pain.

“Now, Jon. Fuck her. Now!”

A door slammed outside and for a split second, Jon feared it was a gunshot. That fear pushed him forward and into the woman’s tight, dry body. Panic pulsed through him as he thought about Night and Sarah. He had to get out of here. Now he was worried about the woman chained to the table. How could he get her out as well?

Gunshots began and he moved his hips against the woman. She lay still for his attack as if sensing his terror. He became cognizant of the fact his movement was less constrained. The woman was suddenly wet. The idea eased his mind for a moment.

Perhaps she wasn’t suffering.

Yelling came from a distant hallway and somehow, he managed to come. He emptied himself into the woman. Straddling her, he breathed heavily. He had only a second to consider his actions…

Then Rex pulled the covering away from Sarah’s face.

His eyes widened with horror when he realized what he’d done. Before he could utter a sound, Rex’s knife slit the terrified girl’s neck right before his eyes.

“No!” His hands covered the fatal wound, desperate to stem the flow of her precious blood. “

No

!”

It was several minutes before he realized Rex had escaped and World War Three was erupting outside the door. He huddled over Sarah’s still form, desperate to protect her from any further harm. Glancing down, he noticed the blood on her legs.

He’d taken her virginity and her life. He cried until he didn’t have any tears left.

“I’m not sure how I got out of the compound. All I remember is you dragging me outside the gate into the woods and Reilly driving us off the mountain,” he said, unable to look at his friend’s face.

Night didn’t respond for a long time and Jon could imagine the condemnation and disgust he must feel toward him. The same feelings he’d lived with for a decade and a half.

“Christ!” Night finally said. “I honestly didn’t think I could hate my father any more.”

He was taken aback by the comment and glanced over to Night. His face was a perfect mixture of anger and understanding.

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“All those years we were partners. All those nights spent in stakeouts or huddled in foxholes. Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you feel like you needed to carry the guilt of that around by yourself?”

He was confused by Night’s response. “Because it was my guilt to carry.”

“Way I see it, two people were raped in that room. Dying in prison was too good for my bastard of a father. I can’t tell you what I’d give right now to stick a knife in that asshole’s chest.”

Night’s words reverberated in his mind and he felt as if he’d sell his soul to the devil to believe they were true. Unfortunately, he couldn’t let Sarah’s painful last moments rest solely on Rex’s miserable shoulders.

“There wasn’t anything you could have done. Tell me honestly, because I’m sure you’ve given it a hell of a lot of thought, is there anything—and I mean anything—you could have done differently that would have saved her life?”

“I didn’t have to force myself on her.”

“Dammit, Jon! Listen to yourself! Rex had a knife against her throat. You thought you were saving her life! I’m sure if Sarah could have spoken, she would have begged you to take her. You had no reason to believe he’d kill her after you’d done what he asked.”

“He knew I’d betrayed him. I should have seen it coming.”

“To hell with that! You’re not a mind reader. You were a seventeen-year-old boy forced to make a choice no man should ever have to face. It’s time to move on. Call your girlfriend, go see her, love her—let her take some of this pain away from you. You keep dwelling on this shit and you’ll explode.”

Jon laughed, a cold, harsh sound even to his own ears. “I was moving on. Until you and Reilly showed up and started exorcising all these fucking ghosts.”

Night was silent for a moment. Then he reached over and placed his hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jon. I didn’t know. I didn’t know.”

* * * * *

Night listened as Jon started his car and drove away. Taking his advice, Jon was off to see Carly, to try to find some solace, some forgiveness in her arms.

Horror over the story Jon had told him left him feeling unbelievably cold. No amount of whiskey would warm him again. Rex Thomas had been a coldhearted, selfish bastard.

He tried to remember one moment of fatherly love, one moment of warmth or comfort his father had offered, and came up empty. From the moment Cassandra

Walker came to live on the compound, she became the focal point of his father’s life. He remembered his mother crying herself to sleep at night after being moved out of Rex’s suite and back into the women’s dorms, and he had watched helplessly as she slowly withered away. Within a year, she had died. Cassandra, for some inexplicable reason, 53

Mari Carr took him in after his mother’s death and he and Jon had become inseparable, the best of friends.

“Fuck!” He stood up and started for the kitchen. There had to be another bottle of whiskey somewhere in the house. He was sick of remembering all this shit. Jon was right. Dragging up all this ancient history wasn’t doing either of them any good.

Standing by the kitchen sink, he closed his eyes and imagined what Jon was doing right now. He could see his friend getting out of the car and banging on the front door of

Carly’s little house.

Night felt for a moment as if he was there…

It was too damn late to be knocking on someone’s door and Jon knew it, but he wouldn’t be able to make himself turn around and go home. Carly would open the door and he wouldn’t say a word. He’d merely shove his way in, closing and locking the door behind them. Then he’d shove her nightshirt up around her waist and rip off her panties. Her back would be pressed against a wall in the foyer and Jon wouldn’t even take the time to take off his own pants. He’d merely open the front of his jeans and push into her. Into her hot, wet warmth. Into her comforting arms.

Home. Carly was Jon’s home now.

“Home,” Night muttered, pushing the thought away from his mind and staggering up the stairs to his cold, lonely bed. “I always wanted one of those.”

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Chapter Eight

Jon took Night’s advice and began spending all his afternoons and evenings at

Carly’s house. Time after time, she welcomed him into her body and her home with open arms, loving away all the aches and pains built up during a lifetime of guilt.

Night continued to wait, with less and less patience, for an invitation to the compound and Jon was happy to stay at Carly’s place, given his friend’s surly disposition.

Reilly supported Jon’s belief that if Night made the first move in contacting

Cassandra, she would become suspicious and possibly disappear into the woodwork before they could build a case against her.

According to Night, Reilly was trying to figure out how to get a female agent in place on the compound. He’d attempted twice to get different women in and both times his agents were turned away at the door. Reilly wasn’t sure what the secret was to getting inside, but Cassandra seemed to have a nose for law enforcement agents. He still hoped to have a female on the inside before Cassandra approached them. If Night had to prove his loyalty in a sexual manner, Reilly wanted to be sure there was a willing female agent there to play her role.

Late the following Friday afternoon, Jon unlocked the door to his townhouse before slamming it shut behind him.

“Sounds like you had a good day.” Night came out of the kitchen with a beer in his hand and a bag of chips under his arm.

“Fuck off.”

“Ouch. Trouble in paradise?” Night popped the top on his beer and ripped open the chip package.

“Carly called in sick today. I’ve tried to get her on her cell phone all damn day, but she’s not answering. I drove by her house but her car’s gone and so is she.”

“That’s weird. Did she seem sick when you left her last night? Could she have gone to the doctor? Didn’t knock her up, did you?”

He gritted his teeth at Night’s flippant questions. “She’s on the fucking Pill and she was fine when I left. Besides, I called her doctor’s office and the hospital and she hasn’t been to either. I’ll tell you right now, she better have a damn good excuse for this or I’m going to beat her ass.”

“I’m sure she’s fine. Did you ever stop to think maybe she needed a little girl time?

For all you know, she hit the shops, a spa, whatever else it is women do to relax.”

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“That would be a great theory if she was like most women. Fact is, she hates shopping. Besides, she never goes anywhere without her cell phone. I’m going to drive by her house one more time. Check again.”

“I think that’s a great idea. I just ordered some Chinese takeout. You can swing by and pick it up for me on your way back from Carly’s.

Jon rolled his eyes but grudgingly agreed. He needed to calm down and at least he’d be doing something productive. If he tried to hang out at home, he’d probably start climbing the walls. Flipping open his cell, he tried Carly’s number for the millionth time.

It was just getting dark when Carly knocked on the door of Jon’s townhouse. Her errand had taken a hell of a lot longer than she’d intended.

“Well, well, well. Look who’s back in the land of the living.” A man she’d never seen before answered the door and she was a bit flummoxed by his welcome.

“Excuse me?

“Sorry, I always forget the niceties—such as introductions, inviting beautiful women inside, offering them a drink before we hit the sack.”

She laughed at the man’s outrageous comments. “You must be Night, the best friend?”

“And you are the woman of my dreams. Would you like that drink now or after?”

“I’m Carly James.”

“Yeah, I was afraid of that. What’s a gorgeous broad like you doing wasting your time on a loser like Jon?”

“So nice to see true friendship in action.” She immediately liked Night and could see why Jon was so fond of the man. His sense of humor, though off-color, was certainly infectious. He had an easy laugh and a terrific smile and she studied his face briefly. While Jon was tall, dark and handsome as sin, Night was tall, fair and too beautiful to look at. She could only imagine how many hearts the friends must have broken during high school.

“So is your name really Night?”

“Yep, sadly that’s true. I checked the birth certificate just to be sure. I was born on a commune.”

“Ah,” she replied as he grinned.

“Of course, I figure I was the lucky one. Same year I was born, the commune also welcomed an Oak Leaf, Dove and Wildflower.”

“Yikes, I suppose you were fortunate. How do you think those poor souls fared with names like those?”

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“Well, Oak Leaf had his name legally changed to Oakley. Not so bad, I guess, all things considered, and last I heard, Wildflower converted to Catholicism, married a doctor and had twenty-seven kids.”

“Twenty-seven! Really?”

“Twenty-seven. Four. Same difference,” Night joked.

Carly laughed at his lighthearted comments. “And what happened to Dove?”

“Don’t know. She flew away from the compound when she was fourteen and I

never saw her again.”

Carly watched the slightest bit of pain cross his face before he stuck his hand out in a friendly gesture. “Night Thomas.”

“Thomas?” The name niggled in her mind and she wondered why for a split second before dismissing it. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Jon talks about you all the time.”

“Yeah, well, everything he said is a goddamn lie.” He laughed and she joined him.

Despite his jokes, she sensed he used humor to mask something he wanted to keep hidden. His laughter never seemed to reach his eyes.

“Speaking of Jon. You’ll have to forgive me for a second, but if I don’t place this phone call immediately, I run the risk of losing a limb.”

Carly gestured for him to make his call as she crossed the room to sit on the couch.

She listened to his conversation. Clearly he was calling Jon.

“Hey, bud. Listen, pick up some extra Chinese. This totally hot brunette just appeared at the door and she looks like she’s starving.” He winked at her as he spoke.

“Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Do me a favor, will you? Take your time. I don’t like to rush with a beautiful woman the first time. Gives her a bad impression.” He closed the cell with a snap and she shook her head at him. “Figure that’ll get him here in record time.

I’m the one who’s starving.”

She laughed. “It’s your funeral. For someone so worried about losing a limb, you certainly left the wrong one dangling out there.”

He hooted with laughter at her naughty joke and she felt a curious attraction to the silly man. She tried to shake the thought from her head. She had fallen hopelessly, helplessly in love with Jon and while she knew it was inappropriate to flirt with his best friend, there was something charming and irresistible about Night Thomas. He seemed very much like a lost little boy and she found herself wanting to comfort him. She watched him cross the room in ripped-up jeans that should have seen the inside of a garbage can at least a year ago and found herself entranced by his loose-limbed, easy gait. He winked when he saw her watching him and she rolled her eyes. No doubt he was one of those men who knew his appeal and flirted with every woman in his path, probably even the ninety-year-old grannies.

“Oh I’m not so worried about myself when Jon gets back,” he said.

“Why not?”

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“It’s not me he’s going to come gunning after.” He spoke so seriously she didn’t doubt his words.

“

Me

? He’s mad at me?”

He nodded.

“What on earth for?”

“Apparently Jon wasn’t too crazy about your disappearing act today. I’m surprised his cell phone hasn’t spontaneously combusted from overuse.”

“Well, shit. I tried to call him several times, but there wasn’t any service up on the mountain.”

She was perplexed when his grin turned to something resembling a snarl. “What mountain?”

“Olson Mountain.” Her answer seemed to anger him even further.

“What the hell were you doing on Olson Mountain?”

For the first time, she sensed a similarity between Jon and his friend. His affability quickly gave way to the same darkness she saw in Jon every now and again. Both men seemed to be harboring a dangerous side. “We had a student withdraw from school last week. She was an aide in the office during her study hall and I was particularly fond of her. Apparently, she and her mother have moved into a new retreat center on the mountain and I just wanted to stop by and see if everything was okay.”

“And you went into this retreat center?” Night’s interest in her errand seemed to overshadow his annoyance.

“Yes, I spent most of the afternoon there.”

“Excuse me.” He had his cell phone out and was dialing as he ran up the stairs. His sudden departure, as well as his fluctuating interest and anger, left her scrambling to keep up.

“What the hell was that about?” she muttered.

“Reilly. It’s Night. Get over to Jon’s place. Now.” He refused to let Reilly get a word in edgewise. “I’ll explain when you get here. Believe me, you’re going to want to hurry your ass up.” He clicked the phone shut and slammed it down on the bathroom vanity.

He tried to get his breathing under control.

He could understand Jon’s intense attraction to Carly James. Christ, the woman was gorgeous. Her long, wavy brown hair left his hands itching to touch, and those lips!

Damn, he’d never seen such luscious, plump lips on a woman. What would he give to take a small taste?

Bending forward, he turned on the cold water and splashed it in his face. He needed to get a grip. Jon had no intention of sharing Carly with him and there was no way in hell he’d betray his friend over a woman.

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When Night considered where she’d spent the better part of her afternoon, his hands clenched into fists and it was all he could do not to storm back down the stairs and shake some sense into the woman. She had no idea the risk she’d taken today, but he would make damn sure Jon explained it to her. Splashing his face once more, he reached for a towel to dry off and took several deep breaths. She probably thought he was half mental the way he’d stormed upstairs.

He studied his face in the mirror and practiced smiling until he managed to look natural and unthreatening again. Once he was sure he could talk to her without giving away his attraction, he went back downstairs.

He found her in the kitchen, wiping the counter. He felt slightly embarrassed about the mess. He wasn’t typically such a slob, but his mind had been on other things the past few days.

“You don’t have to clean that up.” He reached for the dishcloth in her hands but she held tight.

“Oh I don’t mind. I have to say I’ve never seen Jon’s kitchen quite so…”

“Disgusting?” He filled in the word he assumed she was too polite to use and she giggled.

“That would be a good description.”

Again, he tried to take the cloth from her and they had a brief tug-of-war over it before she relented. He saw her glance at his hands and he wondered what she saw there.

“Is something wrong?”

She seemed to realize she was staring. “No, nothing at all. Jon tells me you’re an auto mechanic.”

“Yep. I’m looking for a job in the area. Not much tying me to the city and it might be nice to settle in a small town where I’ve got friends around.” He turned and rinsed off the dishcloth before returning to tackle the sticky counters. His eyes landed on the empty whiskey bottle. The word home resonated in his brain and he thought about mentioning how much he liked the idea of settling down close to her

.

A car door slammed outside and he realized Jon was home. “Listen, Beauty. That’s probably Jon with the food. Why don’t you grab some plates and beer and I’ll help him carry in the bags.”

He noticed she seemed a bit pale and he wondered if he’d scared her with his talk about Jon’s anger.

“Carly.” He took her chin in his fingers and waited until her gaze met his. “Jon loves you and would never hurt you. Besides, I’m here to protect you. Now get the plates.” Before he considered his actions, he bent down and brushed a light, quick kiss against her soft lips. Winking at her, he turned to meet his friend at the front door.

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Chapter Nine

Night opened the front door as he climbed the porch steps. His friend quickly relieved him of the takeout bags and Jon gave him an appreciative smile. He wanted both hands free to deal with his wayward girlfriend.

Just then, Carly came out of the kitchen, her arms loaded down with plates, napkins and beer, her face flushed.

“Where the hell have you been all day?” He realized he was shouting, but the fear he’d held at bay had frazzled his nerves down to nothing.

“Hello to you too.” She placed her armload of dishes on the coffee table without looking at him and he wondered what Night had said to her. “Night suggested we eat in here. There’s something sticky all over your kitchen table and I don’t even want to know what it is.”

Night laughed at her forced joke. “What can I say, Beauty? I’m a bachelor through and through. What I really need is a good woman to look after me. What do you say?

Interested?”

“Are you going to tell me where you’ve been?” Jon ignored Night’s comment and marveled he could speak at all given how tightly his jaw was clenched.

“Told you he wouldn’t notice me.” Night gave her an encouraging look that didn’t do much to appease Jon’s nervousness. Clearly Night knew where she’d been and he could see she was more than a little leery to tell him.

“Olson Mountain.”

Jon froze for a moment, uncertain he’d heard her correctly.

“Excuse me?”

She repeated herself.

For a second, he felt as if his head was going to explode off his shoulders. Every nerve in his body seemed to be rejecting its normal pathway. Before he could figure out how to speak again, there was a knock at the door.

“That’ll be Reilly.” Night seemed unsurprised by their boss’ sudden appearance.

Carly must have sensed something was seriously wrong because her wary gaze lifted to his. “Jon?” she whispered.

“Why don’t we have a seat?” Night led Reilly into the living room and started organizing the meal like they were two opposing countries entering peace talks. He placed Reilly in the recliner, gesturing for Jon to share the couch with Carly before plopping himself in an empty armchair.

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Once they were all seated, Night dropped the rest of her bomb on Jon’s head.

“Apparently, Carly spent the better part of this afternoon at the Olson Mountain

Women’s Retreat Center.”

Jon and Reilly both stood up at the same time. Clearly, Night hadn’t bothered to fill his boss in on the particulars of this emergency meeting either.

“Jesus,” Jon said when he finally found his voice.

“You were inside the main building?” Reilly’s voice was tinged with excitement and Jon felt perilously close to punching him. She had walked right into the lion’s den.

He was two seconds away from dragging her up the stairs to his bedroom. Problem was, he wasn’t sure which part of him would win once they got there. The half that wanted to spank her ass until it glowed in the dark or the half that wanted to tie her to his bed and keep her there for the rest of her life. Unfortunately, he didn’t think she would appreciate either gesture.

“What the hell is wrong with all of you?” She looked at the three men in the room and Jon realized how bizarre their reactions must seem to her.

As far as she knew, Night was his mechanic buddy here for a visit, Reilly was an old advertising colleague and he was nothing more than an English teacher. Fuck. How was he going to explain their interest in a women’s retreat center? How was he going to get out of this situation without having a lot of his lies about the past exposed?

“I beg your pardon, Ms. James.” Reilly moved to sit on the other side of her. “I’m afraid I misrepresented myself in our earlier introduction.”

“Reilly.” He tried to invoke a warning with that one word, but either his boss didn’t hear it or he ignored it. He suspected the latter.

“I’m actually here undercover.” With Reilly’s response, he could see the lies they were all about to tell her swarming above their heads like bees. He hated lying to her, but honestly he knew the truth would be a thousand times worse and he was too big a coward to take a chance on losing her now.

“Undercover? You’re a policeman?” She looked confused, yet he could see a spark of interest below the surface. Damn woman never missed an episode of

CSI

and was probably thrilled at the prospect of some sort of intrigue.

“No. I work in the private sector as an investigator. A woman came to see me a few weeks ago. She claimed her sister had gone to the Women’s Retreat Center on Olson

Mountain after an argument with her husband. Neither the sister nor the husband has heard from the woman since. There are no phones at the center and their letters have been returned as undeliverable. The sister is beside herself with fear and hired me to investigate.”

“And I take it you haven’t been successful getting in?”

Night’s head flew up at her astute comment. “We can’t so much as get our little toe on that compound.”

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She glanced at his friend with curiosity. “So you really aren’t a mechanic, are you? I

have to admit, I wondered. Your hands are too clean. I have a cousin who works on cars and he always complains about the fact it’s next to impossible to get all the grease out from under his fingernails.”

Night grinned and Jon groaned as he saw more than friendly interest on Night’s face. She was observant and intelligent, two of the main things that drew him to her. It was little surprise Night found those same attributes appealing. Their years spent side by side had molded them basically the same. Reilly had remarked on it more than once.

Problem was, he’d known how Night would feel about Carly right from the beginning. It was one of the reasons he’d hesitated to introduce them. It was simply inevitable that Night would feel the same attraction.

The need to share with Night would never truly leave him and Jon could see that now. Ever since his conversation with his friend the other night, Jon couldn’t shake the image of Night taking Carly in his arms. Touching her as Jon kissed her. His fantasies of the three of them together were so overpowering, they were affecting his relationship with her. Just last night, she’d remarked how sometimes she didn’t feel like he was completely with her. He’d dismissed her fear as foolish, kissing her senseless in hopes of driving her perceptive comment out of her mind.

“Touché, Ms. James. I work for Reilly. Usually we don’t make up such elaborate stories to cover our tracks, but since Jon lives and works here we thought we could use the situation to our advantage.”

“And what about you?” She turned her lovely blue eyes on him. “You said you used to work in advertising—but that was a lie, wasn’t it?”

Jon held his breath trying to decide which answer was right. Would she become angry at his deception and storm out?

Fortunately, she seemed to take his silence as his answer—and she laughed.

“It makes sense,” she said. “I could never see you working in advertising. Seemed too dull for you.”

Reilly cleared his throat and Jon saw the same calculating look on the man’s face he’d come to detest in his later years at the agency. Reilly had cooked up a scheme and from the way the old man’s eyes seemed to linger on Carly, he knew it wouldn’t be good.

“Reilly.” He tried to get his boss’s attention, desperate to take Carly out of his line of fire.

“Ms. James,” Reilly said, ignoring him once again and taking her hands into his own.

Jon noticed Night take in their mentor’s demeanor and watched his grin fade to a grimace. Night turned his head and looked sharply at him. Worry and possession were etched in the lines around his eyes. Looking into Night’s face, he felt as if he was standing before a mirror. Night felt the same way he did, wanted the exact same thing he did. Night wanted Carly—wanted to share her with him. The same thoughts that

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Night down in their wake as well.

He felt frozen inside and out. Night was waiting for a response. He was vaguely aware Carly and Reilly were speaking, but their voices were no more than mere static in the background. Reilly was going to try to enlist her help. They weren’t fools. His mentor was not above signing anyone up for a mission if he thought it would crack the case. Hell, he enlisted them when they were mere boys, turning them against their own parents. He wouldn’t hesitate to throw sweet, innocent Carly into the mix now if he thought it would put Cassandra Walker behind bars.

Jon swallowed heavily. Night was waiting for an answer to the unspoken question that lay in his gaze. Night would help him protect her regardless of the reply. He would lay down his life for Jon’s woman and never ask for a single thing in return. What Night wanted, however, was more than that. Much, much more.

He nodded once and watched the entire composition of Night’s posture change.

The crouched tiger relaxed and he was taken aback to see a much younger-looking

Night reemerge. Obviously the changes in his friend had been so gradual over the years, he hadn’t noticed the subtle differences in the way Night kept his emotions locked inside, in the tight, controlled way he carried himself or even in the hardness that seemed to invade his facial features.

The idea that they would take Carly into their bed—love her, care for her, share her—didn’t just affect Night. For the first time in a lifetime, Jon felt the darkness that pervaded every corner of his being suddenly flooded with light.

Night turned away from him and Jon watched as he walked to sit beside her on the couch. Although he kept an appropriate distance, Jon saw her look of surprise when she realized it was Night beside her, rather than him.

“I’m sure I could go back.” She was answering a question Reilly had posed. “In fact, Mrs. Thomas offered me a job.”

“A job?”

“Mrs. Thomas?”

Jon and Night’s questions overlapped each other and she glanced at them, clearly surprised by the venom in both of their voices.

Fuck. He mentally kicked himself. They would have to get a grip on their emotions or she would be reading them as easily as she read those romance novels she loved so much.

“The lady who runs the retreat center, Mrs. Thomas. That’s what it was that bothered me about your name, Night. Her name is Thomas too. Of course, that’s a pretty common last name. Anyway, she offered me a job as office manager.” She answered their questions matter-of-factly, but he could see her assessing them.

So Mommie Dearest had stolen Rex’s name for this go-round. Seemed almost fitting that she would take his name considering the fact she’d stolen all his money and his freedom as well.

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“You’re not taking the job.” Night’s comment echoed his thoughts perfectly. He’d cut off his left arm before he let her anywhere near his mother again.

“What?” Carly and Reilly both replied in unison and Jon snarled when he realized his former boss meant for her to do just that. If Reilly had his way, Carly would be the female operative on the inside.

“Night’s right, Carly. We don’t know enough about this so-called retreat. It’s not safe for you to take a job there. How do we know you won’t go missing like this other woman’s sister did?”

“Trisha Jackson and her mother are there as well. If this place isn’t on the up and up, how can you ask me not to try to help her?”

“I’m not saying we won’t help her. I’m just not willing to let you offer yourself up as the sacrificial lamb. We don’t know what’s going on inside that place.”

She sighed and leaned back against the couch. He watched Night inch a bit closer, his thigh lying next to hers. Although to Carly the move would seem casual, he knew it was done with premeditation on his friend’s part. Night was slowly trying to get her accustomed to his touch and Jon wondered how on earth they would proceed. The times they had shared in the past had been so different. Those women had begged for their combined affections. This time, they would have to break her into the idea gently, carefully, and there was the very real risk she would refuse them both. Hell, Jon wouldn’t be surprised if she was horrified by the suggestion.

So much for his normal fucking life.

“Well, I can see by the looks on all of your faces that you don’t think anything good is happening in there and I have to admit I agree,” she said.

“Why?” Reilly leaned forward at her words, clearly thinking she would be able to clue them in at last.

“It’s hard to explain.” She seemed to consider her words. “The place was heavily guarded. I noticed that right off. But it’s just…”

“What?” Reilly prodded her for an answer and Jon could see impatience brimming in the man’s eyes.

“There were guards at the gatehouse and they seemed harmless enough, but there were also guards in the woods around the perimeter and on the roof, and they were carrying big weapons.”

“What kind of weapons?”

“Guns, but not pistols or revolvers or anything. Huge guns. More like machine guns than shotguns. I don’t know much about weapons, but I know I’ve never seen the likes of those guns before. They were frightening and I remember thinking they seemed a bit over the top. I mean, Mrs. Thomas said the women who come to the center are trying to escape domestic violence or abusive husbands, but even so, I can’t see needing so much firepower. And actually…”

She paused then shrugged.

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Reilly obviously sensed she wasn’t going to finish her sentence. “Ms. James, any information you give us could help. No matter how small or insignificant it may seem.”

“Well, there were guards inside too. I don’t think I was meant to see them. They tended to drift into the shadows as I passed, but I could tell they were there. This may seem silly, but it felt like the guards weren’t there to keep people out so much as to keep them in.”

Jon’s heart turned to stone at her words as he realized how lucky she was to have walked back off the compound of her own free will. Cassandra could have locked her up and they wouldn’t have been any the wiser about where she had gone.

Anger crashed through him with the thought. “Goddammit, Carly! What the hell were you thinking going up there by yourself? What if they decided to keep you there?

Lock you up? I wouldn’t have known where you were. I wouldn’t have known how to find you!”

Jon expected her to be furious at his outburst and was surprised when she stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t know it was a dangerous place. I should have told you where I was going, but it was a stupid, impulsive decision made at the last minute. When I finally thought about calling you, my cell phone wouldn’t work.”

He wrapped his arms tightly around her and watched Night and Reilly locked in silent communication.

Night mouthed the word “no” to Reilly, but Reilly merely raised his eyebrows, a sure sign he expected to have his way on this, just as he had on so many other things in the past.

“Given our investigation, I’ve come to the conclusion that Mrs. Thomas is luring women to the center with the promise of safety and a new life.” Reilly’s voice was serious and Jon felt Carly stiffen in his arms.

She pulled away from him and turned to face Reilly. “What is she luring them in for, if not that?”

“Prostitution.”

“

What

?”

“She offers the women a clean place to stay, food, clothing, safety and asks for nothing in return—at first. Once she has a woman so deeply in debt to her, she bills the woman for her services. Obviously the cost is outrageous and a price the woman has no hope of paying.”

“How do you know this?” Jon asked. He felt a cold chill pass through him at

Reilly’s words. It was as he suspected. The man knew more about Cassandra’s business than he’d previously mentioned. A quick glance at Night proved his friend was oblivious to this new piece of intelligence as well.

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Reilly ignored his question and continued with his story. “If the woman is young and pretty, Mrs. Thomas mentions a service the woman can provide to pay off the debt.

Dress up and attend a party, be witty and charming to the men in attendance.”

“What happens after the party?” Carly asked the question, seemingly entranced by

Reilly’s words. He could see the old man drawing her in with his invisible lasso and Jon felt helpless to cut the bonds.

“Enough, Reilly.” He started toward the man but Carly’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“What happens after the party?” she repeated.

“Nothing. The woman returns thinking her debt’s repaid. The next morning, Mrs.

Thomas mentions in passing that a particular gentleman was interested in her and would like to see her again. Mrs. Thomas says something like it would be a personal favor to her in light of all she’s done. The woman agrees and this time the party is much more private and…intimate.”

“What if the woman isn’t willing to be intimate?” Her voice was no more than a whisper and Jon could read the fear behind it. No doubt she was thinking about Trisha

Jackson.

“The gentleman claims to be quite wealthy. He knows about the woman’s debt and offers to pay it in full if she would simply consent to one night.”

“He doesn’t pay off the debt,” she added.

“No, he doesn’t.”

“Dammit, Reilly! How do you know all this?” Night rose quickly to pace across the room and Jon noticed his friend’s anger seemed as intense as his own.

“A woman caught in Mrs. Thomas’ last web escaped. She told this story to the young policeman who found her. Unfortunately, she disappeared before anyone else could question her further. A cursory investigation of Cassandra’s first retreat center was posed, but of course nothing inappropriate was found. Shortly after the investigation, Mrs. Thomas moved her organization here, changing the name of the center as well as her own. My concern, after hearing about all the guards posted around the compound, is that she is upping the ante—so to speak—given some ties she has to certain people in this area.”

It took all the strength in his body not to attack Reilly on the spot. The man had known all along what his mother was up to. She’d run this retreat center scam somewhere else.

“How?” Carly stood rooted to the same spot in the middle of the room and Jon noticed how pale her face was.

“No.” He cut off Reilly’s reply. “Not another fucking word, Reilly.”

“Jon.” Her hand was again on his arm and he forced himself to look at her face.

“How can you ignore what’s going on? Who knows what that horrible woman is doing to Trisha?”

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“So far, Carly,” Reilly added, “you’re the only one who’s been issued an invitation onto the compound. You’re the only one who can figure out what Mrs. Thomas is up to.”

She seemed to be considering this fact seriously and Jon looked to Night for help.

Hell would freeze over before he’d let her back up on that mountain.

Night sat back down and began digging through the boxes of Chinese food. “Let’s face it, Reilly. You don’t have a fucking clue what’s going on inside that compound.

Stop trying to scare Carly with your damn suppositions. Now if the rest of you don’t mind, I’m starving.”

Jon picked up where Night left off, working hard to continue to discredit Reilly in her eyes. He forced a laugh past his lips as he joined Night on the couch. “I gotta hand it to you, Reilly. You haven’t lost your touch.” He looked at Carly and forced a nonchalant smile onto his face. “Reilly is a master of spinning tales. He could kill hours during a stakeout making up those stories of intrigue. We’ve always told him to write them down. He’d make a killing in the fiction market.”

Reilly seemed nonplussed, if not downright amused by their words. Standing and bowing slightly to the room in general, he turned to leave. “Gentleman, Ms. James, this seems to be an appropriate place to stop for now. Always leave your audience with a cliffhanger, they say.”

Reilly stopped at the front door and turned back to give Night and Jon a meaningful look. “I trust the three of you will have an enjoyable evening…together.”

Jon’s heart skipped a beat at Reilly’s implied meaning and he couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow the night had gone exactly the way his old boss had planned.

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Chapter Ten

“Come eat, Carly.” Night offered the invitation and watched her struggle to dismiss

Reilly’s words.

“You really think he was making all that up?” Her face was so damn pale, Night could barely restrain himself from chasing Reilly down and pummeling the asshole for scaring her so.

“Reilly tends to exaggerate.” Jon dipped some pork-fried rice onto a plate and handed it to her. “Eat, Carly. There’s nothing else we can do about the retreat center tonight and besides, there’s your punishment to discuss.”

Night glanced sharply at Jon. He knew his friend had consented to the possibility of sharing her, but he didn’t expect him to forge ahead so soon. Surely they needed to ease her into the idea? Give her time to get to know him better.

Clearly, she was shocked by Jon’s words as well. “Punishment?” she whispered.

“Surely you didn’t think I was going to let your actions go unpunished? Carly, you placed yourself in harm’s way today. Granted, you didn’t realize it at the time, but you didn’t call me. You didn’t tell me where you were going and I intend to make sure that you never forget to do that again.”

Her face flushed and Night saw her gaze dart quickly to him. No doubt she was uncomfortable with Jon discussing such a thing in front of him.

Night turned to shoot a warning look at Jon, but one look convinced him his friend’s intentions had changed.

He wasn’t going to share her. He was going to scare her away.

Reilly planned to use her in this mission and apparently Jon decided to take her out of the equation completely. By attempting to push her into a ménage, he fully expected her to run as fast and as far from all of them as possible. Anger pulsed through his blood at the thought of Jon intimidating her in such a way—until he looked at his friend more closely. Jon’s hands were trembling slightly and his face was chalk white. Night could see what this decision was costing him. Jon was sacrificing his love and his hope for a future with Carly in order to protect her and keep her safe.

Jon’s gaze lifted to meet his and he could see his plea for understanding.

“Jon?” she whispered.

Anxious to ease her discomfort, he reached across the table and took her ice-cold hand in his. “Hey Beauty. Remember my promise. I won’t let him hurt you. At least not more than you deserve.”

Her hand jerked in his and he tightened his grip. He swallowed heavily. He would play his part.

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She licked her lips and squirmed in her chair, looking beautifully confused. Night had to stifle the grin as he felt a slight trembling in her hand. If he was reading her body language correctly, she wasn’t afraid of their words—she was aroused.

Shit. What if Jon’s impromptu plan backfired? What would they do if she refused to run?

“I don’t understand.” Her words were surprisingly strong and Night felt his respect for her courage raising another notch.

Jon stood slowly. “Stand up, Carly.”

Night watched with amazement as she complied. Jesus, Jon had been holding back the truth from him. He wasn’t a closet Dom where his chestnut-tressed love was concerned. He’d clearly exposed his true nature to her and the undeniable submissiveness she displayed blew Night away.

Jon ran the back of his hand down her cheek. “I nearly lost you today.” The words seemed to be forced from the depths of Jon’s soul. She reached out to touch Jon, but he grabbed her wrists. Looking over his shoulder, Jon motioned for him to join them. He knew instinctively what Jon wanted. Walking toward the couple, he placed himself directly behind Carly. He took her hands from Jon and lightly clasped them behind her back.

“Link your fingers,” Night whispered in her ear. She obeyed and he slowly dragged his hands up her arms, reaching around in front of her until he loosely clasped her with one arm around her shoulders and another fully around her waist. Night tightened his arms slightly, pulling her more firmly against his chest in a bear hug. Her hands accidentally brushed against his rock-hard erection and he sucked in a deep breath at the sensation.

Carly stiffened only a moment in his embrace before relaxing and sighing softly.

Looking over her shoulder, Night could see realization dawning on Jon’s face. She was no shrinking violet.

She was willing to take them both on.

Confusion crossed his friend’s face for a brief second and Night found himself grinning widely. After all these years, could Carly be the one woman who would complete them? Save them? Jon saw his grin and returned it.

“Jon,” she whispered and Night knew she was waiting for his explanation. Or was she waiting for his permission? Her fingers rubbed against his cock again and he knew this time it wasn’t an accident.

“I warned you, Carly. I want everything from you.

Everything

.” Jon’s gaze traveled over her shoulder and met his. “He’s my best friend. Everything that’s mine is his.”

She trembled in his arms and Night tightened his hold again. The three of them stood frozen for several moments until Night heard the one small word he knew would change his life forever.

“Yes.”

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Jon felt staggered by Carly’s response. Part of him hoped that by pushing her into

Night’s arms, she would run scared. He knew Reilly fully intended to use her in his mission to bring Cassandra down. Desperate to save her from that fate, he’d intended to force her hand. He was certain that by thrusting the idea of a ménage at her, she would leave. Escape him and his black soul forever.

Now, with a single word, she’d given him the greatest gift he’d ever received. He glanced at Night—Carly locked tightly in his embrace—and saw the same look of reverent disbelief on his friend’s face. She wanted them both. Just when he felt as though he couldn’t love her any more, she blew him away with her generosity and seemingly endless supply of compassion.

“Upstairs.” Night made the quiet demand before releasing her, only to turn her slightly and lift her into his arms. Jon followed closely behind as Night carried her to the bedroom. Placing her back on her feet, Night reached for the hem of her shirt and swiftly pulled it over her head.

Jon expected her to rebel against this sudden disrobing. He knew she was still uncomfortable standing naked before him. No matter how many times or ways he tried to tell her she was beautiful, he sensed she truly didn’t believe it yet. He was amazed as he watched her stand unmoving for his friend’s perusal. Night, however, was far from motionless or quiet. His hands worshipped her, touched her everywhere as he told her over and over how lovely she was.

The sight of her shapely body continually left Jon speechless despite the fact he’d seen her naked countless times. He could appreciate Night’s overwhelmed response.

Walking toward them, Jon took his place behind her and unhooked her bra. He heard Night gasp as he pulled the lacy material away from her body.

“Jesus,” Night whispered and Jon watched him fall to his knees before her.

Reaching around her, he lifted her breasts and offered them to his friend. Night’s tongue swiveled around the pink areolas several times as her nipples grew larger and harder. When it seemed he couldn’t resist any longer, Night sucked the flesh firmly into his mouth. She moaned and squirmed and he knew Night’s attention to her sensitive breasts was setting her body on fire. Jon continued to hold her, pushing her into his friend’s mouth. He couldn’t take his eyes off the image of Night kneeling before her, worshipping her with his mouth as her hands tugged and pulled Night’s hair, holding her to him.

Finally, Night released her and clumsily stood back up. “More,” he demanded and

Jon knew what he meant. Turning her to face him, Jon reached down to undo the fastening of her jeans. When he had them unzipped, Night pulled them down her hips.

She kicked off her tennis shoes and the jeans were quickly shed as well. Jon had only a moment to notice she was wearing the new black thong he’d bought her before he heard a snap and the panties fell away.

“Sorry,” he heard Night mumble, and he chuckled.

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“You’ll never be accused of having too much patience,” Jon teased and he was thrilled when Carly joined in the laughter. He still couldn’t believe she was really here.

Really letting them both touch her and love her.

“Well, I must say I’ve finally found something you both have in common.” She looked at him as she spoke. “In your haste to get me naked, neither one of you has bothered to remove a single piece of clothing.”

Jon laughed, recalling their first night together when she had come in his arms before he’d even taken off his shirt.

“She seems to have strong feelings about equality in nudity, Night.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.” Jon watched as his friend pulled his T-shirt over his head.

“Is that better, Beauty?”

She turned to look at Night and Jon heard her gasp softly. “I think I’ve spotted another similarity.” Her gaze was locked on the unmistakably large outline of Night’s erection.

Night grinned and slowly unzipped his pants. With teasingly slow shakes of his hips, he pulled his jeans down in small increments, giving her an eyeful of his striptease.

Jon was unable to resist discovering the effects of his friend’s body on her and he pulled her back against his chest, letting his fingers drift down her stomach to her clit.

Her small opening was drenched and dripping as he pushed his finger inside.

“Damn, that’s nice. Night. Come feel this.” Jon removed his finger and watched

Night’s expression as he touched her pussy for the first time.

“Christ. She’s soaking wet.” Night thrust two fingers roughly inside her and she exploded into an orgasm. Jon almost laughed at the stunned expression on Night’s face.

He was used to her incredible sensuality. The woman could come at the drop of a hat.

Night’s shock quickly turned to something he recognized. “Jon,” he warned.

Jon nodded and watched Night push her back onto the bed gently.

“Condom,” Night barked and Jon retrieved one from the bedside table and pushed it into his friend’s hands. Night had the condom on and was inside her sweet pussy in under a minute. Jon knew this first time wouldn’t last long. It had been too long for

Night. Even he could feel the unquenchable need to claim and conquer her, despite the fact he’d made love to her several times last night.

“Oh Beauty,” he heard Night mutter. “I can’t hold back. Too good. Too good.” He chanted the words in time with his quick thrusts and Jon watched her respond. Within seconds, she was climaxing again and dragging Night with her.

“Holy shit!” The words were barked out between gasps as Night struggled to breathe. She giggled at his words, more than a bit breathless herself.

“Well, now that we have that out of the way…” Jon tried not to let the staggering impact their lovemaking had on him show in his face. For a moment, he considered his past years struggling toward normality. Something deep inside him told him this

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Carly was almost as good as taking her himself.

Jon saw Night studying his face and he knew his friend was worried. Worried he had changed his mind.

Jon captured his gaze and smiled. “There is still the issue of Carly’s punishment.”

A smile broke on Night’s face and he laughed. For the first time in his life, Jon felt truly happy. Regardless of the fact Cassandra was up to no good again, he felt good.

Deep-down-in-his-soul good. It wasn’t a feeling he’d ever experienced before and he knew he had the two naked people in his bed to thank for it.

“Punishment?” Carly was squirming under Night’s body, no doubt plotting an escape.

“Carly.” Night’s tone was firm. “Stay still.”

Jon rejoiced to see his sweet little submissive respond. She would soon discover exactly how much he and his friend had in common. He almost felt sorry for the poor little thing, attaching herself to two Dominants with possessive streaks a mile wide.

Then he recalled her strength, her passion, her courage. He chuckled as he reconsidered. It was he and Night who would need the sympathy. Ms. Carly James was destined to run them ragged.

Jon glanced down and realized he was still fully dressed. Pulling his shirt off, he quickly divested himself of his pants, boxers and shoes as well. Night rose from the bed but kept a firm hand in the middle of her chest, not allowing her to rise.

Night looked over at him and gave him an it’s-your-show gesture. Her punishment, this time, was his to mete out. She’d scared the hell out of him today and had placed herself in serious danger whether she’d realized it at the time or not.

“Lie down in the center of the bed on your stomach and grip the headboard. Open your legs.” Jon stood at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed against his chest.

Night remained beside the bed, obviously awaiting instructions.

When she moved into position, Jon gestured toward the bedside table next to

Night. “There are a couple things we’ll need. Grab them.” He didn’t bother to elaborate.

Night would know.

Jon began to crawl up onto the bed, dragging his hands along the backs of her legs as he went. Reaching down, he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Get up on your knees, but keep your head down. The only thing I want to see right now is that gorgeous ass of yours.”

She complied and Night moved to his side. He glanced down at the items in Night’s hands and saw he and his friend were definitely on the same page.

“Tell me why you’re being punished.” Jon placed his palm gently against her bare buttock. She flinched slightly, clearly expecting him to spank her, rather than merely touch.

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“I didn’t tell you where I was going.” As soon as she finished answering, he spanked her—hard—and she cried out. This was going to be a lesson she wouldn’t soon forget.

“And?” he prompted, spanking her other cheek with equal force.

“I put myself in danger.”

He hit her three times in quick succession and watched her lovely flesh turn a bright shade of red.

“And?”

Her breathing was ragged and he struggled to keep going. She was trembling slightly and he started to pull back.

Night placed a strong hand on his shoulder. “She has to learn to trust us. She can’t go on making impulsive decisions that might endanger her life.”

“And, Carly?” Jon repeated, spanking her twice more.

“I’ll never do it again!”

Jon bent forward to place his lips on her burning flesh. He attempted to soothe the soreness away with his tongue. He felt Night’s hands caressing the other cheek.

“If anything ever happened to you, Carly…” Jon was surprised to hear Night’s anguished words.

She must have shared that astonishment. She rolled over and reached out for them to join her. They lay down on either side of her as she turned first toward one and then the other, offering her apologies and kisses to both of them.

Soon their kisses became more heated and their touches became almost frantic in their desire.

“Night, I think we better introduce her to that toy of yours before we go any further.”

She froze at his words. “Toy?”

“Roll over, Beauty.” Night gripped her shoulder and turned her back to her stomach. “Get back up on your knees. Just like you did for Jon earlier.”

She paused and Jon laughed at her reaction. “No more punishment, Blue Eyes.

Only loving for the rest of the night.”

“For the rest of our lives.” Night muttered the last and Jon smiled at his friend’s hushed wish.

If only.

Silently, Jon sent up a prayer that she never left them.

She pushed onto her knees and he couldn’t resist running his hands across her rear end. The color on her cheeks had faded to a light pink.

Brushing a light kiss against her buttocks, Jon watched as Night reached for the bottle of lubrication. She stiffened when she felt Night’s finger prod at the entrance to her back hole. Despite the promise he’d made on their first night, Jon hadn’t taken her there yet.

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“Relax, Carly.” Jon tried to soothe her as Night slowly pushed his lubed finger in to the first knuckle.

“She’s fighting me.” Night removed his finger and looked at him. “You’re going to have to distract her.”

Jon grinned. Lying down on his back, he pulled her over him. He’d been in agony since watching Carly and Night make love. He was more than happy to distract his little ladylove. Gripping her hips lightly, he angled her until he was poised at the opening of her tight pussy. Ever-so slowly, he pushed her down onto his hard cock.

She sighed happily when at last he was fully lodged and he felt her start to rise back up. “Oh no you don’t.”

“Jon!” she cried, fighting to move on his erection. She was ready for action and he smiled at her enthusiasm.

“You only get fucked once you’ve taken Night’s toy into your body.”

Overcome by frustration, she pounded her small fists against his chest. “Now, Jon, please! Don’t make me wait.”

“Way I see it, sweetheart, you’re the one making   wait. Night and I aren’t exactly us small men and we’re both dying to get into that tight ass. We can’t do that ’til we’ve stretched you out a bit. That’s what the toy will do. Think about it, Carly. Both of us inside you, pounding hard into your ass and cunt. You want that, don’t you?”

“God yes!” she hissed. Her internal muscles clenched him with an almost unbearable tightness as he described how they would take her. It was all he could do to keep himself from flipping her over and pounding into her now.

“Then let Night in.”

She nodded and Jon watched Night squirt more lube onto his finger. It was pure torture to feel Night’s finger slowly work its way into her ass.

“I can feel him inside you, Carly. Do you like that?” If she rejected this part, he wasn’t sure what they would do. There was nothing like the feeling of taking a woman together, pounding in and out of her tight body in unison.

“Yes.” She began thrusting back toward Night’s finger and Jon saw his friend grin.

He removed his finger and she started to protest.

“Hold still, Beauty.” Night opened the wrapper on the butt plug Jon had purchased for her.

He saw Night’s eyebrows rise slightly as he held the plug.

“This is a bit big for a beginner, Jon.”

“Then you better make sure she’s ready for it.” Jon knew his tone sounded harsh, but he was holding onto his sanity by a thread. Her pussy was throbbing around him and as he glanced into her face, he could see she was tempting him on purpose. “You little wench,” he said through gritted teeth.

She giggled then looked over her shoulder toward Night. “Do it right and I’ll take care of that with my mouth.” Her eyes traveled to Night’s ever-thickening erection.

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Night gave her the bad-boy grin Jon had seen lure one woman after another during their adult years.

“Beauty, I do everything right.” Night waved the butt plug in front of her and Jon felt her body tense for a moment. “But I don’t think you want me to rush this job, so stop looking at my cock like that and please—dear God—don’t paint a picture of your lips locked around it for me. I’m doing a pretty good job fantasizing about that sweet mouth of yours on my own. Now hold still.”

She tensed slightly and Jon could tell from her body that Night was introducing her to the butt plug. He had to admit it was larger than he should have bought, but he knew once he decided to take her ass there would be no going slow. She moved slightly and then he felt it. Night was driving the plug into her at a pace that would test a saint’s patience. Jon watched her face closely, ready to cry halt if he noticed the first sign of distress.

“Jon, talk to me buddy.” He knew Night was worried about her as well.

“She’s fine, Night. Just fine.”

“She’s also right here.” Her tone, though breathless, was strong. “If you want to know if I like it or hate it, Night, you can ask me.”

“So…” Jon felt Night shove the plug in an inch or two more before he finished speaking. “Do you like it or hate it?”

“Neither.” Jon felt Night stop and then felt her body tremble with laughter. “I

love

it! I can’t wait until it’s you inside me.”

Her words seemed to stir up Night’s intense desires even more and both Carly and

Jon gasped as he pushed the plug in to the hilt. “What did I tell you about painting those pictures, Beauty?”

Jon felt his last tether of patience break and he began to thrust into her pussy, the plug lodged in her ass making her even tighter. He felt the bed give way slightly around his head and when he opened his eyes, he saw Night kneeling to his left, driving his erection into her lovely mouth. She worked both of them like the conductor of a fine symphony. She rode his cock while sucking his friend’s deep into her throat.

He had a ringside seat to both shows and while his mind longed to stay and watch every act, his body was definitely ready to call it a night.

With two more hard thrusts, she began shuddering with her own release and his balls tightened. Jon erupted, emptying himself deep inside her quivering body. He’d just begun to come down when he heard Night’s release and he watched her throat work around his friend’s cock, swallowing every drop.

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Chapter Eleven

Carly lay staring at the ceiling as the sound of light snoring came from both sides of her.

What the hell am I doing?

She was lying in bed between two men and she’d had sex with both of them. Dear

Lord, she still had their butt plug lodged in her ass! She squirmed slightly and considered for a moment taking it out.

The thought of Night and Jon punishing her for doing so almost dared her enough to do it. She shook her head.

I’m a sex maniac. There’s something completely abnormal about me.

Fact was, the longer she lay here, trying to work up some feeling of guilt or remorse for her actions, the more she wanted to wake the two men and get act two underway.

She’d always suspected she had a bit of a submissive side when it came to sex.

She’d read lots of books and had come across more than a few erotic ones that described domination. They’d always left her feeling needy and hot and completely unsatisfied with the lukewarm sex she and Adam had. Her first night with Jon was the first time she’d ever had an orgasm without having to help it along with her own hand. Adam sort of fell into the sexually selfish category and she’d learned early on that if she wanted any satisfaction at all, she had to take care of it herself.

All that had changed with Jon. He could merely say a few words and blow on her left ear and she felt herself coming apart at the seams. She was completely, totally in love for the first time in her life and she knew he felt the same way.

Tonight, though, after that strange man Reilly had left, she had seen a look in Jon’s eyes that nearly crushed her. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that by asking her to give herself to Night, he’d hoped to push her away. He was afraid of something—

they both were—and she wished she could figure out what it was.

Grinning, she recalled Jon’s words. He’d wanted everything from her, and everything included allowing Night into their bed. The look on Jon’s face when she’d agreed was priceless. Jon had set all her sexual fantasies free these past few days, but the poor man had no idea the top fantasy on her list was a ménage. The fact he’d offered it with Night—a man she’d felt an instant attraction to—was simply too good to question or refuse.

She stretched her arms above her head and felt a slight pinching in her ass. She wondered what it would feel like to take Night or Jon there. She knew it was only a matter of time. Regardless of how big the toy was, she also knew from personal experience it didn’t come close to stretching her enough for her two men.

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Her men—Night and Jon. Something told her they could be hers forever and a feeling of possessiveness crept inside her heart as she gave herself up to the sleep that finally beckoned.

Carly awoke to the sound of water running. She attempted to roll over but was held in place by a muscular arm around her waist.

Night

, she realized without opening her eyes.

“Morning, Beauty.” His voice was rough from sleep and she turned to look into his sky-blue eyes.

“It can’t be morning already.” She felt as though she’d only closed her eyes for a second.

“Actually, I think we’re far enough into the day that we could call it afternoon.”

She turned within his hold until they were facing each other. He brushed a light kiss on her lips, but made no attempt to deepen it. She could see his face was serious and she wondered how long he’d lain awake beside her.

She teasingly kissed the end of his nose. “It’s okay, Night.”

He seemed surprised by her playful action and words. “What’s okay?”

“This.” She gestured at the two of them naked together in the bed. “I spent a lot of last night thinking. Trying to convince myself this was wrong.”

He frowned at her words. “And did you? Convince yourself?”

“Not even a little. It would seem you and Jon have taken in a scandalous woman.”

He laughed. “Scandalous, eh? Well thank God for that. I always did hate those holier-than-thou types. Give me a bad girl any day of the week.”

“Ooh, I like that.” She giggled. “Never in my life have I been referred to as a bad girl.”

“Mmmm. Even better. Means Jon and I get to keep all that naughtiness for ourselves.” He leaned forward and kissed her hard. His arms tightened around her before his hands decided to do a little roaming. “Feel like being bad right now?”

“What about Jon?”

“Bastard’s had you all to himself for a year and a half.”

“Night, you and Jon…this isn’t…I mean, you’ve shared women before, haven’t you?” She was aware her question sounded more like a statement and she wasn’t even sure why she’d asked.

He nodded. “Ever since we were teenagers. Carly, I don’t suppose Jon has told you much about our childhood?”

“Nothing at all,” she confessed.

“Yeah, well.” She watched the same walls Jon erected anytime the past was mentioned fly up around him as well. “Let’s just say it sucked. Jon was the only person

I could rely on. He was more than my best friend. He was like my brother. Shrinks

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“But it’s not like that for you and Jon?”

“It’s hard to explain, Carly. The way I was raised on the commune, the things I saw the adults do…”

“You mean sexually?”

“Yeah…it wasn’t exactly what you’d call normal. I met Jon when we were both eleven. Before he came…” He paused, clearly frustrated at not finding the right words.

“Shit. None of this is going to make any sense. Sometimes it felt like my soul had been ripped out as a baby and all I was left with was this hollow shell of a body. Then Jon came along, and it’s like he gave me half of his soul. There are times when it feels like we’re different sides of the same coin. Does that make any sense?”

She considered his words and then she thought about Jon. For nearly a year and a half they’d been friends, but she didn’t really know anything about him. She’d always felt like there were huge gaps in her knowledge of her friend. Those gaps didn’t close when they became lovers, either. In fact, they’d seemed to grow larger. Last night, when

Jon had looked at her, when he’d held her, she’d felt as if she was seeing him complete and whole for the first time ever. And, she suspected, had she known Night better, the same would hold true for him. “It does.”

It hurt her to realize how terrible their childhoods must have been. How much pain they must have endured. The strength of their unique bond had been their lifeline and she suspected neither would have survived without the other’s presence—in or out of the bedroom.

“Are you ever going to tell me about your childhood?” She asked the question, despite the fact she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. If she found out they’d been abused, it would devastate her.

“I have a feeling everything is going to come out eventually whether we want to talk about it or not.”

His bizarre answer left her confused until he continued, “You remember Mrs.

Thomas, the lady you met at the retreat center?”

She nodded.

“Her real name is Cassandra Walker. She’s Jon’s mother. She’s also the devil in disguise.”

Jon came out of the bathroom in time to hear Night’s final words and his temper exploded. “What the hell are you saying?”

Night started and Jon realized his friend hadn’t intended for him to hear his confession.

Carly quickly sat up. “Jon, stop.”

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He was heading toward the bed, a towel draped around his hips. The only thought in his mind until her words had been to beat Night to a pulp. She must have read his intent because she scrambled out of the bed and placed herself in front of his friend.

Night’s cocky laugh came from behind her and Jon’s vision clouded an even deeper haze of red.

“Got myself a fierce little bulldog here, don’t I, Jon? Beauty, much as I appreciate the gesture, I can take care of myself.” Night rose from the bed and stood beside her.

Both of them were still naked, but clothing didn’t seem to be on anyone’s minds.

“What the fuck were you telling her?” Jon’s anger refused to abate.

“The truth. You know, bud, that stuff you avoid?” Night’s fists were clenched and he dared Jon to make the first move.

“Enough!” Carly’s voice was loud and Jon was surprised to see her place herself between them again. No woman ever dared to stand between them when they were in the midst of a fight. It was a foolish move and he felt some of his anger turn toward her.

Silly woman continually put herself at risk. Night must have felt the same frustration.

“Dammit, Carly!” Night was yelling. “Get out of the way. Hell, get out of this room before you get hurt.”

“No.” She crossed her arms beneath her chest and the movement pushed her breasts higher. Jon groaned and she grinned. She knew exactly what she was doing.

Clever girl intended to fight fire with fire.

“Christ, woman.” Night ran his hands through his shaggy hair. “You are a bad girl.”

Jon laughed and as quickly as his anger came, it left. Night was a part of this evolving relationship as much as he was and he knew lies and deceit would never sit well with his friend. Problem was, now that they had her in their bed, Jon’s fear of her desertion was almost unbearable. A large part of him knew there was no way this happiness could last. Not with his mother back in town, not with the past nipping at his heels like a pit bull.

“I’m a cold, lonely bad girl. Come back to the bed.” She glanced back at him. “Both of you…please?”

“I think we’ve been a bit neglectful of our woman, Night.”

Night nodded and Jon could see the evidence of his friend’s desire for her hadn’t dimmed a bit. His erection was long and hard and like a compass, pointing due north straight at her.

“Put your hands on the bed, Carly, and bend over.” Night moved to stand behind her while Jon climbed up on the bed. He sat in front of her so that her lips were poised right above his raging hard-on.

“Do you want me to leave the toy in or take it out, Beauty?” Night’s hands were drifting along the split in her ass and Jon knew his friend was toying with the flared end of the butt plug. They’d left the thing inside her all night and Jon could imagine taking it out and replacing it with something a little larger.

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“What?” Her question came out in a gasp of hot breath that teased Jon’s cock.

“I’m going to fuck that sweet pussy of yours from behind while you try to suck some of the meanness out of my buddy there. Do you want me to leave the plug in or take it out?” Night asked again.

Jon scowled at Night and was further annoyed when his friend ignored him. His aggravation disappeared completely with her answer.

“Leave it in.”

Night’s breath came out in a groan and Jon understood the feeling. What on earth had they ever done to deserve her? She was the last piece in their puzzle, the perfect fit, their ideal mate.

The sound of a condom package unwrapping jarred Jon from his thoughts.

Gripping her head softly in his hands, he pushed her face down until he felt her tongue dart out to tease the slit of his cock. As she licked up and down, he felt her breath hiss around him as Night started to slide into her wet, hot cunt. Glancing up, he watched

Night’s penis disappear inch by inch and she hummed with pleasure around his cock when Night was fully seated.

Running his fingers through her lovely hair, Jon whispered to her, “Ready, sweetheart?”

She nodded her assent and they both began fucking her, their movements timed perfectly. She quickly picked up the rhythm, pushing back against Night as he thrust forward before moving down on Jon’s cock as Night retreated. The speed and power of their movements grew slowly, faster and stronger as each of them reached for their release. Jon felt his eyes roll up in his head as Night shouted out and she began to tremble between them. She finished swallowing his come only seconds before her own orgasm shook her.

He could see Night was supporting all her weight as the last waves passed through her. Reaching under her arms, Jon pulled her back up into the bed and felt the mattress sag as Night joined them on her opposite side. He could tell by their soft breathing that both of them had fallen asleep and Jon silently wished he could join them in oblivion.

Wished he could share in their peacefulness.

Instead, his own worries wouldn’t let him rest. He couldn’t shake the idea that all this was simply too good to be true. Fate, under the guise of his mother, was waiting to play her hand and once it was laid on the table, he feared once again he would come up broke.

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Chapter Twelve

Carly looked up at the sound of knocking on her office door. Reilly stood in the doorway.

“Hello.” He smiled at her. “I was in the area and thought I’d stop by.”

She returned his smile, although something inside her secretly stirred uneasily.

After Night’s confessions about being born on a commune and the revelation about

Jon’s mother, she’d begun connecting the dots regarding their childhoods. Problem was, the men had refused to discuss the subject any further.

Here before her stood a man who could answer if not all, most of her questions regarding their past. The problem was her conscience—knowing how they would feel if she did—didn’t seem willing to ask.

“Come on in. I’m afraid Jon’s teaching right now.”

“Oh I didn’t come to see Jon.” Reilly glanced over his shoulder and gestured at the open door. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” Her brain went into overtime as she tried to figure out why he would want to meet with her behind closed doors. She knew Reilly hoped she would consent to return to the center to help them expose whatever was going on, but since she had learned who Cassandra Walker Thomas was, she was leery to participate.

“I’m sure you know why I’m here.”

“Yes, Mr. Reilly, I am and—”

“Reilly.”

“Pardon me?”

“My name. It’s just Reilly. No Mister.”

“Oh. Okay. Reilly, I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to help you. I mean, I’m just a secretary and the idea of going back to that retreat center undercover seems more than a little bit out of my range of abilities. Besides, I can’t believe you would ask Jon and

Night to help you, considering it’s Jon’s mother you’re hoping to expose.”

“I see they have been telling tales. However, I confess myself confused. Did they seem unwilling to see Cassie arrested?”

“Well…no. I mean, we didn’t discuss her in any great detail, but the fact does remain she’s Jon’s mother.”

He shook his head and she watched the frown that seemed ever-present on his face grow. “Cassandra was no mother to Jon. A more evil woman has never walked the earth, I can assure you of that. She is a selfish, devious woman whose sole purpose in life is to be admired, worshipped and served.”

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She felt her chin drop at his impassioned words. “Surely she can’t be that bad.”

He dropped down heavily into the chair across from her desk and she sensed him struggling to make some sort of decision.

“What do you know about BDSM, Ms. James?”

She felt her face flush at his question. Up until a few weeks ago, her knowledge of that particular subject had been limited only to reading a few books. However, since Jon crash-landed in her bedroom, she’d been tied up, spanked and thoroughly fucked by two dominating men.

And to make things worse, she was loving every minute of it.

“I’m sorry if I’ve offended you.” Reilly clearly believed by her blush and silence that she was insulted.

“Oh no. I was simply taken off guard by your question. Why do you ask?”

“BDSM is Cassie’s religion. She’s considered the premier Dominatrix by the people who travel in those circles. She began instructing Night and Jon in those practices when they were fourteen years old.”

Carly felt a wave of nausea pass through her at the thought of a woman teaching mere boys how to dominate women in the bedroom at such a young age. Hell, the freshmen at her school were fourteen and they were immature boys whose main interests in life revolved around sports and video games. Half the boys in the freshmen class still thought girls were gross. What must Jon and Night have thought?

“I can see you’re appalled. I was as well. I’ve often considered Cassandra Walker’s and Rex Thomas’ worst crime to have been the one they weren’t prosecuted for. Child abuse. Night and Jon would probably disagree. How they came out of that life with their souls intact, I’ll never know.”

His comment reminded her of Night’s confession earlier this weekend

. Jon came along and it’s like he gave me half of his soul.

“Their worst crime? Are you saying Cassandra and Rex committed other crimes?”

He laughed humorlessly at her question. “You could say that, yes. I could make you a list, but perhaps it would be quicker to mention the crimes they didn’t commit. As far as I’m aware, neither one of them ever shoplifted anything.”

She didn’t laugh at his joke. “And Night and Jon? They helped commit these crimes?”

He shook his head. “No. Not to my way of thinking, anyway. Although, again I

believe they would both disagree. They were minors, unwitting victims in their parents’

games. When I told them what Rex and Cassandra were up to, they did the right thing.

They were responsible for Rex Thomas’ arrest and the evidence they provided saw to it that the man was sentenced to life.”

She considered what a man would have to do to receive a life sentence, but decided she was happier not knowing all the gory details. “This Rex Thomas. He was Night’s father?”

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Reilly nodded.

“And Jon’s mother? I take it she didn’t receive as stiff a sentence seeing as how she’s out of jail now?”

“Cassandra has never seen the inside of a jail cell. She escaped punishment for her crimes.”

“What is she really doing up on that mountain?” Carly asked.

“She’s opening up her own sex shop. She’s luring these women and young girls in for training.”

“What kind of training?”

“They’ll be trained as sex slaves and sold to the highest bidder.”

She barked out a single laugh. “You’re joking. That can’t happen.”

“Oh I assure you, Ms. James. It can and does. Every day.”

“Maybe in other countries. But not here. Not in the United States. No one could get away with something like that.”

He gave her such a patronizing, pitying look she felt like punching him in the stomach. “My dear, it can happen anywhere. Even up on that lovely mountain you probably spend most of the autumn admiring.”

“I don’t understand why you think Jon and Night can help you with this. If they helped to bring down Rex, won’t this woman be suspicious if they suddenly drop in for a visit?”

“Cassandra is unaware of Night’s and her son’s involvement in the cult’s downfall.

As far as she is concerned, her teachings during their youth were more than sufficient to include them in her new venture.”

“She wants them to rape the women she’s luring up there?”

“She’ll call it ‘training’. There are many facets to BDSM. Between consenting adults, I’ve been told it can actually be quite pleasurable. However, Cassandra’s twisted the concept in her mind and she uses it not for pleasure, but for control and pain and profit.”

“And she thinks they would agree to this?”

“She hasn’t spoken to her son since he was seventeen years old. When she escaped the compound, he and Night were still very much a part of cult life there—though unbeknownst to her, they had been working undercover for me. Over the years, I can only assume she’s received snippets of information about their lives. It is the same information the real world believes about them. Night’s an auto mechanic. Jon was in advertising before becoming a teacher. No one knows what they’ve really been up to.

Their cover stories are quite secure and very much intact.”

“She only knows the lies about their lives.”

“Like everyone else, she must surely believe the falsehoods about them that I’ve put out, but she has also been privy to some truths.”

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Reality crashed down on her at his knowing look. “She knows they still share women. She knows about their continued interest in BDSM practices.”

He nodded.

“How does she know this?”

“Cassandra travels in those circles. Jon and Night—from time to time—have stepped back into that realm as well.”

“Undercover? As part of a job?” She suddenly felt a bit queasy. Would they want to explore the darker aspects of BDSM with her? Would she do it if they asked? A few weeks ago her answer to anyone asking her to enter a D/s relationship would have been a resounding

Hell no

! Now, however, she wasn’t so sure the answer would be the same.

“Sometimes.” Reilly was hedging, but she needed to know the truth and merely stared him down. “Sometimes they frequented those clubs merely to scratch an inch, shall we say?”

“Does Cassandra know about me?”

He shook his head. “I don’t believe so. In fact, I’m inclined to think definitely not. If she’d known about your relationship with Jon when you arrived there on Friday, I’m certain she would never have let you leave. She’s not above using all the resources at hand to achieve her goals.”

“If Jon had refused to help her—”

“She would have secured his help by promising your release. Of course, I seriously doubt you would have been freed. You are a very attractive woman, Ms. James. You would bring her a pretty penny.”

“If that’s true, then why did she let me leave?”

“Cassandra is shrewd. She had no way of knowing you weren’t sent from the school to check up on Trisha. The last thing she wants is any suspicion cast her way. For the time being, as long as the women come to her, she’s not breaking any laws. At least, she won’t be until she begins training and selling them.”

Carly suddenly felt very tired. She’d spent a year wondering about Jon’s secret past and in less than fifteen minutes, Reilly had told her more than she’d ever wanted to know.

“If everything you say is true, why on earth would I ever consent to set foot on that property again?”

“Because, Ms. James, one way or another, Cassandra will lure her son and Night up there. When she does, wouldn’t it be better for them to have a willing woman on the inside? If things go bad and they can’t find the incriminating evidence we need immediately, you would be there to buy them more time.”

“I’m supposed to pretend that they’re raping me?”

“Better you, Ms. James, than your young student, Trisha. After all, you wouldn’t be forced into giving them anything you haven’t already freely offered.”

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Heat flew to her face, but he seemed not to notice as he stood and walked to the door. “All I ask is that you consider what I’m saying. Those gentlemen of yours have spent a lifetime in service to their country trying to wash away the sins of their youth.

Cassandra Walker will not be denied. If she has set her sights on having them beside her in her crimes, then I promise you, she will find a way to get them there. And trust me when I say, any sins they commit this time will leave a lasting stain.”

* * * * *

“Damn I hate parent conferences,” Jon said for the tenth time in as many minutes.

“Really, I had no idea,” Night joked sarcastically.

Carly giggled and kissed Jon on the cheek as he put on his jacket. “It’s two hours of your life, Jon. I think you’ll survive.”

“Why don’t you have to go?”

“I’m not a teacher, and I’m not about to sit in my office twiddling my thumbs because you think we should suffer together.”

“Yeah, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that you two will be having a hell of a lot of fun without me during those two hours.”

Night slapped his friend on the shoulder. “Paybacks are a bitch, buddy. Way I see it, you’ve had this lovely girl all to yourself for too long. It’s my turn now.”

Jon begrudgingly agreed and shrugged. “Yeah well, don’t have too much fun.”

Carly rolled her eyes and starting pushing Jon toward the door. “I’ll save some fun for you when you get back.”

Jon came to an abrupt halt, turning to face her. “Blowjob fun?” he asked, sounding like a little kid begging for a puppy.

“Maybe, but only if you’re a good boy and go to your parent conferences,” Carly teased. Jon groaned, but he left.

Night shook his head. “What a pathetic guy. Geez, you would think sex was all he ever thought about. Why are you still dressed?”

Carly shook her finger at Night as he started to slowly stalk toward her. “Oh no, I’m not going to make it that easy for you.”

Night halted, confused by her words.

“You have to catch me first,” she said before turning and running upstairs. Night gave chase and was surprised by how quickly she could move. He followed her into the bedroom, catching the door as she slammed it behind her. She was almost to the closet when he managed to grab her around the waist. She squealed with laughter as he proceeded to tickle her and the two of them dropped to the floor, laughing and wrestling.

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“Caught you,” he said once he was able to straddle her hips with his strong thighs.

She stopped fighting and Night sucked in a breath at the heavy, seductive look in her lovely blue eyes.

“Looks like I’m your captive,” she answered breathlessly. They were both winded from the chase. “What are you going to do with me?”

Her playful tone sent all the blood coursing to his cock.

“Jesus, you’re gorgeous,” he said, his voice deep and gruff.

Carly grinned at the comment and blushed. Jon had told him about Carly’s problem with accepting compliments and together, the two of them had set out to correct that minor flaw in her character. It was past time the woman realized how beautiful she was—inside and out.

This was the first time he’d had Carly to himself and he thought perhaps they should use the time to figure out where both of them stood on the events of the weekend. They’d done very little talking Saturday and Sunday, instead exploring the physical nature of their newfound relationship. Today, Jon and Carly had gotten up and gone to work as normal and Night had been left with far too much time on his hands.

Too much time to think and worry about her feelings toward him and the unusual relationship on which they were embarking. “Carly, I was actually hoping we could talk about what happened this weekend.”

Carly squirmed a bit beneath him and Night moved off her, pulling her to sit beside him on the floor. He saw a vague uneasiness cross her face and he wondered what she was thinking.

“I guess we have to face the real world sometime,” she said with a tremulous smile.

Night nodded. “I know things between us have moved rather quickly.”

She laughed at his comment and he had to admit it was an absurd thing to say.

“I think that’s a bit of an understatement,” she said.

“That’s what I want to talk about. I mean, shit Carly, we were introduced on Friday evening and were in bed with each other an hour later.”

Carly crinkled her nose. “Geez, it doesn’t sound very good when you say it that way. Kind of makes me sound like a slut.”

Night shook his head and laughed. “You and me both.”

“The thing is, Night, I may not have known you personally, but I knew   you. Jon of had told me a bit about you and…oh hell, you’re right. We’re basically strangers. I

guess it would sound extremely inappropriate for me to say I’m really not this kind of girl.”

He reached over to grasp her hand in his. “I think it’s safe to say this isn’t familiar territory for either of us. I’ve never been involved in a serious relationship in my life.”

Carly frowned. “Is that what this is, Night?”

It was Night’s turn to frown. “What the hell do you think it is?”

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“Honestly, I don’t have a clue. I think I’ve just sort of been riding this wave to the shore without giving it much thought.”

“How would you describe your relationship with Jon?”

Carly flushed slightly. “He’s my boyfriend. I’m in love with him, Night.”

Night took a deep breath, swamped with a jealousy that took his breath away.

“Carly, I’m not going away.”

“What?”

“I’m in this for the long haul.”

Carly bit her lip, a sure sign she was nervous. “Night, if you’re asking me to choose between you and Jon—”

“Choose? Good God, no. Carly, there’s no choice here. No, strike that, actually there is. I want to be a part of your relationship with Jon. I’m not looking for a quick fling and

I have no intentions of fading into the woodwork. And I’m not talking about playing third wheel. I want to be a part, an equal part in this relationship.”

“It sounds as if you’re proposing a long-term ménage, but that can’t happen, right?

I mean, people don’t live in trios, they live in pairs.”

“Carly, you’re looking at this through a narrow lens. There are a hell of a lot of different ways for people to love each other.”

“But Jon—”

“Jon wants the same thing I do. You know that. Maybe he hasn’t said the words, but you’ve seen it in his face surely.”

She nodded. “He’s different now. With you, it’s like he’s… I don’t know how to describe it. I would have said we were happy together before you came, but now I can see that he wasn’t. Not really.”

“All I’m asking for is time. Time for us to get to know each other. Time for us to see if you and I can turn this sexual attraction into something a bit deeper.”

She fell quiet for so long, Night was afraid she was going to reject his suit. He knew he was asking her to step outside her comfort zone. Hell, he was asking her to move a thousand miles away from her comfort zone. Perhaps it had been too soon to bring up this discussion. Clearly, what Carly suspected she was doing with Jon and Night had nothing to do with commitment or relationships and more to do with fantasies.

“I’d like to get to know you better,” she said finally.

Night smiled and could swear he felt his heart start to beat again, unaware of the fact he’d stopped living, waiting for her answer.

“Good. Now, why are you still dressed?”

Carly giggled and he rose to stand, pulling her up beside him and grasping her in his tight embrace. He held on to her as if his life depended upon keeping her in his arms. The moment that idea flashed in his mind, it got stuck there and grew roots.

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Regardless of the brevity of their acquaintance, something in his gut told him Carly was the one who could bring him out of the constant dark night that had surrounded him his entire life. She was the sun and for the first time in his life, he felt warm.

Carly pulled back and looked at Night’s face, familiar despite the newness of their friendship. She was staggered by his request. In the back of her mind, she’d thought his time here would only last as long as the case did.

She was still trying to find her way around the unfamiliar skin she was suddenly living in. After spending a decade merely sleepwalking her way through day-to-day routines, she felt exhilarated and alive for the first time in her life.

Jon had brought her such happiness during their friendship and that bliss had tripled when they’d become lovers. The addition of Night to their newfound relationship hadn’t strained it—as Carly would have expected—but instead added another layer, another dimension of completion. The word perfect flashed in her mind.

This past weekend had been perfect. It was as if Carly’s eyes had been opened to a whole new world and she was more than willing to change her address, if it meant she could spend more time in Jon and Night’s arms.

She reached up on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on Night’s cheek and she was flooded with the now-familiar giddiness that pervaded her spirit when she was with these men.

“I’ll get undressed if you will,” she whispered.

Night grinned. “Race ya. Loser has to do whatever the winner says.”

As they both struggled to pull their clothing off, they bumped heads and Night fell over in his hurry to strip off his jeans. In the end, they declared it a draw as both of them fell apart laughing on the floor. When at last they came together, Carly was blown away by the gentleness of Night’s lovemaking.

Lovemaking. That was all it could be called. He caressed and petted and touched her as if she was his most treasured possession. As her orgasm flowed through her body, Carly fought back the tears of joy flooding her eyes.

Perfect.

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Chapter Thirteen

The phone ringing jarred Night from his stupor. Glancing around the room, he caught sight of the clock. It was three a.m.

Who the fuck calls in the middle of the night?

He tried to grab the damn thing to stop the shrill sound, but he found himself buried under five feet, six inches of voluptuous brunette.

He grinned. Carly hadn’t so much as stirred at the sound of the phone. No doubt they’d thoroughly exhausted the poor girl. Then he considered the aches and pains in his own muscles. Shit, even his dick was sore. Maybe it was Carly who’d worn them out.

“Who the fuck calls in the middle of the night?” He smiled at Jon’s comment. Jon seemed freer to move and he reached over to grab the phone.

“What?” Jon barked into the receiver.

Night’s smile died as he watched Jon go still as a stone. “Cassandra?” he mouthed and his heart plummeted when Jon nodded.

“I’m still here. It’s just a surprise to hear from you.”

Night smiled encouragingly. Luckily Jon’s voice wasn’t betraying the outright shock Night could see taking over his body.

“You are? Back on Olson Mountain. I didn’t realize you’d come back. I have to admit I’m surprised.” Jon paused and Night was impatient to hear the other side of the conversation. He wondered if, despite all his big talk about revenge, he would have been able to speak so rationally and calmly. Even now, simply knowing she was on the other end of the line, he felt an irrational desire to grab the phone out of Jon’s hands and tell Cassandra Walker exactly what he thought of her.

“A visit? I, well, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Cassandra. It’s been a long time.”

Night slowly unwrapped Carly’s arms and legs from around his body. The last thing they needed was for her to awake, but Jon was screwing up. Sweet God, what if she never called him

? What if she only wanted her son back? Regardless of her so-called maternal interest in him, he’d never considered Cassandra his adopted mother, aunt, guardian—anything.

“Night? Well, it just so happens he’s staying here right now. Yeah, he had a bit of trouble with the law and I convinced him to come live with me for a while.”

She was asking about him. He felt like punching a victorious fist in the air. He would have his chance, his turn for revenge. He’d never gotten over the fact that it was

Jon who had found the evidence that bought their freedom last time. It was Jon’s sealed testimony that put Rex behind bars. He hadn’t contributed anything to the downfall of the cult and his father, but this time things would be different. This time, he would be

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“I can mention it to him. Is there a number where we can reach you? I see. Well, maybe we’ll see you then. Okay. Goodbye.”

Jon hung up the phone but otherwise remained motionless. Night walked around the bed. “Downstairs,” he whispered in Jon’s ear.

Jon nodded, pulling on his own pants and following him down to the kitchen.

Mercifully, Carly didn’t stir during their retreat.

Night grabbed two beers from the fridge and sat down across the kitchen table from

Jon. “Well?”

“She wants us to come see her. She claims she’s been keeping tabs on us over the years. She says she feels terrible about abandoning us and was hoping to make amends for the past.”

“Lying, conniving bitch.” He spat the words out then took a long swig of beer.

“Jesus, Night. She sounded exactly the same. Her voice, it was exactly the same. I

thought…shit, I

hoped

I’d never hear my mother’s voice again.”

Jon was obviously as shaken as he felt. “When?”

“What?”

“When does she want us to come see her? I could tell by your response she wouldn’t give you a phone number. So when?”

“Week from today. She claims she has a business proposition for us. She was insistent that I bring you. She wants both of us to come—together.”

“A proposition. So it sounds as if the game is in motion.”

Jon shrugged. “She knew I was a teacher and she knew about your legal troubles. It was like Reilly said.”

“Speaking of Reilly, we need to call him. Let him know we’re making our move. We have to get a female agent on that compound—now.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Night watched as Jon stood quickly, nearly knocking over his beer in the process. “How many times do I have to tell you, Night?

I’m not going back there.”

“But Jon, she asked for both of us. Dammit, man! We have a real chance to see her pay for her crimes. How can you walk away from this?”

“I’ve moved on. I have the life I want. A good job, a house, Carly. You’re a part of all that now too. How can you risk everything we’ve just gained?”

Night ran his hand through his hair, frustration rife in every part of his body. He could understand the truth in his friend’s words. He’d lived his entire life with nothing to lose and no way to make amends for the past. Now that his revenge was at hand, there suddenly seemed to be too much to risk.

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“I don’t know anymore, Jon. I don’t want to lose Carly, but Christ, man. I can’t let

Cassandra get away this time. She’s hurting innocent girls, I know it.”

Jon dropped back into his chair and Night wondered how they could have fallen so far so fast. Only a few hours ago they’d been on top of the world, loving Carly, no worries, no pain. As always, Cassandra managed to pull the rug out from under them and leave them writhing—helpless and broken on the floor.

“If you go back there and Cassandra’s proposal is what we suspect, are you really willing to play along with her game in order to get the evidence you need? Are you prepared to do what it takes? Reilly can’t get a woman on that compound. He’s tried.

Which means you’ll have to take one of the women already there. Think about that. I’ve lived for fifteen years with the knowledge that I took Sarah against her will. I won’t do that to another woman. Ever.”

“You didn’t have a choice. Rex was threatening to kill her.”

“That’s right and I’m still haunted by it. It was nearly two years before I could go to sleep without seeing her face in my dreams. What excuse will you have? There won’t be anyone holding a knife to the woman’s throat. How will you live with yourself if

Cassandra orders you into that training room and it’s seventeen-year-old Trisha Jackson tied to the table?”

Night slammed his beer bottle down and crossed the room to look out the kitchen window into the black night. Years of plotting and planning his revenge were withering right before his eyes. He wouldn’t hurt that young girl. He knew he wouldn’t.

“You won’t have to live with it. If it comes to that, I’ll be tied to the table.”

Night’s horrified gaze caught sight of Carly’s reflection in the window. She was standing in the doorway, dressed in his T-shirt.

Night watched his friend turn to face her. He caught a glimpse of the pain in Jon’s face before he lost sight of it.

“Carly.” Jon’s voice caught on her name, fear of what she’d heard evident in his tone.

Then something clicked in Night’s brain.

She knew.

I’ll be tied to the table

, she’d said. Reilly had gotten to her. Christ, how much had he told her? Did she know about their role in the cult? Did she know about Sarah? About how she’d died?

“Like hell you will be!” Night turned to face her too and from her expression, he could see she’d made up her mind.

“Night, if you’re going up there, you can be damn sure I am too.”

He saw Jon’s expression change as enlightenment dawned on him as well. “I’m going to kill Reilly! How much did he tell you?”

She didn’t flinch at Jon’s harsh tone. “Everything. What he didn’t tell me, I just overheard. Who was Sarah?”

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Night watched Jon go pale at the mention of her name and he knew Jon would never be able to say the words she was asking to hear, so he answered her question.

“Jon’s first love. My father slit her throat the night we escaped from the compound.”

Tears gathered in her eyes and Jon muttered a curse before continuing the horrible tale. “He killed her right before my eyes, Carly. Do you honestly think I’m going to let the same thing happen to you? You aren’t going anywhere near that fucking mountain and I don’t care if I have to chain you to the bed and throw away the key to make sure of that fact!”

Night closed his eyes and took a deep breath. One of them needed to keep a level head if they hoped to persuade her to change her mind. During the few days he’d spent with her, Night had learned she was not only beautiful and intelligent, but she was stubborn as hell. He walked across the room and took her hands in his. “Now that you know everything, you must understand why we would never let you go up there.

Carly, it’s too damn dangerous.”

“You’ll be there to protect me. Both of you.”

Jon growled. “I’m not going back to the mountain and neither one of you is, either, so this discussion is at an end.”

She laughed off Jon’s words and Night grimaced. His friend wouldn’t take that response well. “Jon, just because I let you two boss me around in the bedroom does not

mean you’re going to have absolute control of my life. I figure you’ve spent enough of your life looking over your shoulder waiting for your mother to wreak havoc again.

Let’s go take care of this. Get Reilly the evidence he needs to put the bitch in jail so we can get on with our lives. Start making plans for the future.”

She reached out. Grasping Night’s hand in her left, she took Jon’s in her right. “Our future?” she asked hopefully and Night could see the residual fear in her eyes that they would deny her any future with them. Regardless of how much they told her they adored her, she still struggled to truly believe the words. Night hated the idea that she was actually questioning that they might have a future together, but he knew only time would address that fear.

Most of all though, Night rejected with every ounce of his being the idea of putting her life in danger just to lay the demons of his past to rest.

“Please, Beauty, you have to understand. This isn’t as simple as walking in and peeking around in a few drawers. Cassandra didn’t remain a free woman this many years by sheer luck. She’s smart and she’s dangerous. We’ll be expected to earn her trust, prove our loyalty, and that will take some time if we can’t find the evidence we need right away.”

“Time I can buy you. Jon, you said it yourself. Cassandra wants you there to train the women. We know she’s operating a prostitution ring. I can give you the time you need to find your incriminating evidence. Think about it. What would happen if you had a troublesome slave? One who refused to bow to your commands?”

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Night knew where her thoughts were leading and he had to admit she must have the courage of thirty Navy Seals to suggest it.

“She’d be punished.” Jon’s voice was hard and Night knew he was furious about what she was considering. “And I don’t mean a few taps on her bare ass, Carly. She’d be beaten with canes, whips, paddles. You name it. Now are you finished with this supposing game? Because I can assure you, I am.”

She ignored Jon’s tantrum and directed her next question to him. “Night, if you’re trained in using those things, the beating isn’t necessarily painful, right? I mean, if someone were a trained and careful Master, those things could actually bring a person pleasure?”

Night groaned at the picture she was drawing in his mind. They were both well-

trained and accomplished Masters, but only a few times in the past years had they allowed themselves to step back into that realm, usually undercover working a case.

They were infrequent members of an underground sex club at Reilly’s urging. Their boss thought it best to keep the rumors circulating about their continued play in that arena.

The idea of introducing that lifestyle to her, to the possibility of expanding their bedroom play to that darker side, sent a wave of nausea through his body. Although they’d spent their childhoods trained in BDSM, they’d both lost the stomach for it after they’d escaped the cult. Neither of them would ever be able to lift a whip against her soft skin. The desire to try that practice with any woman simply wasn’t inside either of them anymore. Hell, he wondered if the desire was ever there or if they had merely pretended to please Rex and Cassandra.

“In theory, yes. Do you have any idea what you’re inviting here? I mean, we haven’t even fucked that gorgeous ass of yours yet and here you are asking us to beat you with a whip! Beauty, the sum total of your sexual experience before crawling into bed with us would fit on a teaspoon. I don’t think you’re ready for what Cassandra would expect us to do as part of your training.”

“And Trisha Jackson is? She’s a virgin, you know. We talked about it once. She said she was determined to wait until after marriage.”

Jon’s anger exploded full force. “Fine! Have it your way. You think you can handle a trip to the dungeon? Let’s see, shall we? For the next twenty-four hours, you’re ours.

If you can take everything we dish out without crying ‘uncle’ then we’ll continue this discussion.”

“No.” She shook her head. “If I make it through the whole day, the discussion is at an end and I go undercover with you.” She stuck out her hand as if to shake on it.

He watched Jon’s jaw set and he knew his friend was about to call off the whole thing.

“Deal,” Night answered for them both, and took her hand.

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Chapter Fourteen

Jon shook his head and wondered how on earth he’d lost control of this situation.

He’d gone from flat-out refusing to participate in the scheme to bring Cassandra down to not only agreeing to help, but including Carly in the plan. To make matters worse, over the next twenty-four hours they were going to have to show her every deep, dark secret of their past and expose her to things he didn’t want to show her. Despite his roots in BDSM, he simply wasn’t interested in entering that type of relationship with her—or any woman, for that matter.

“Uncle.” Night was talking to her.

“What?” she asked.

“Your safe word. It’s uncle. If we do anything you’re uncomfortable with or that you don’t like, simply say that word and we stop.”

“And the deal is off.” Jon felt it was important to repeat that part. The problem was, he didn’t think he had it in him to do anything that would possibly hurt or scare her, and that was what they were going to have to do to convince the damn stubborn woman to stay home. Looking at Night, he saw his friend felt the same way.

Christ. There was no way he’d let her near his mother. He would have to push his headstrong ladylove hard and far if he stood a chance of gaining her surrender.

“We’re wasting time.” Jon forced a dangerous tone into his voice. She felt too secure and safe with them. If they had any hopes of winning this game, they had to show her another side. The dark, sinister one they’d both spent years shedding. “From this point on, Carly, you are our prisoner. Our slave. You will only speak when spoken to and you will refer to us as Master Jon and Master Night. Do you understand?”

She nodded and he saw a wary expression enter her eyes.

“I said, do you understand?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Yes what?”

“Yes Sir?” Her wariness disappeared at the words and she started to roll her eyes.

Her independence would never make her a true submissive and that was one of the things he loved so much about her. She would always be a challenge, always make things exciting and fresh and new.

“I assume you saw that, Master Night.” Jon placed his arms akimbo, his pose threatening.

“Oh I saw it.” Night crossed his arms over his chest and for a second Jon could see she was confused by their reactions. “Take off that shirt, slave.”

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She looked as if she wanted to protest the nickname, but thought better of it. She reached for the hem of Night’s T-shirt and pulled it over her head. She hadn’t bothered to don panties and Jon was sorry not to have another excuse to punish her. “From this point on, you will remain naked. You are not to cover yourself with anything unless we give you permission. Do you understand?”

“Yes Sir.” Her answer came easier this time and she didn’t roll her eyes, though Jon could still detect a glimmer of humor behind them. He’d soon have to correct her of that problem. God forbid she won this deal and made it onto the compound. His mother would have a field day beating that beautiful spirit out of her.

“Go to the kitchen table and bend over it. Place your hands above your head and grip the edge.”

She quickly complied and Jon heard Night’s dark chuckle from behind him. “So eager for her punishment.”

“Punishment?” The question slipped from her mouth and as soon as it did, she seemed to realize her mistake.

Walking to one of the kitchen drawers, Jon rummaged around until he found what he was looking for. It wasn’t a real paddle and was sure to hurt a lot less, but he wanted to introduce her to this form of punishment slowly. Gripping the wooden spoon, he approached her. Her head was turned and she was looking at him over her shoulder.

He shook his head.

“Have you ever seen such a disobedient slave, Night?”

“Nope, this one takes the cake. Avert your eyes, slave.” Night walked to the head of the table and placed his hands firmly around her wrists. Jon knew she wouldn’t have moved them regardless of the paddling she was about to receive, but Night knew the additional feeling of helplessness his hold would produce.

No sooner had she turned her head away than Jon swatted her with the spoon. She cried out at the impact, even though he knew the tap wasn’t really that painful. He suspected her cry was one of surprise. He hit her three more times before he stopped and clucked his tongue. “This is going to be a bit harder than I thought.”

Night laughed before leaning forward and placing his lips at her ear. She was trembling and Jon could smell her body’s sweet juices even though her legs were clenched tightly together.

“Your pose is all wrong, slave,” Night explained to her as Jon stood and watched the effect his friend’s words were having on her. “Your legs should be open. Never, never close your pussy in front of your Masters when they are punishing you.”

She moved her feet about a foot apart. Jon stepped behind her and shoved them so far she had to stand on her tiptoes.

“That’s better.” Night continued his instructions. “You’re supposed to count.”

She seemed confused by that command. “Count?”

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Jon swatted her twice more with the spoon and this time he let the wide part of the utensil graze the edge of her pussy lips. She cried out and he watched with amazement as even more fluid flowed from her opening. Her body was begging to be fucked.

“That’s the second time you’ve spoken without permission, slave,” Jon barked.

“The strokes. Count each time he hits you. Aloud,” Night explained.

She nodded and Night stood up and resumed his hold on her wrists.

Jon swung the spoon again and she choked out a “one”. He hit her three more times, each time varying where the spoon landed. Each time, she called out a number.

“Do you know why you’re being punished, slave?” Jon asked as he delivered blows five and six.

“No Sir.”

“Your eyes will always give you away, Carly. I warned you once about rolling your eyes. When you call me Master, I never want to see anything but devotion in your gaze.

Do you understand?”

“Yes Sir.”

He continued to pepper her ever-reddening behind until she reached number fifteen. By the time Jon finished, she was groaning and squirming on the table. She was actually fighting her arousal and he shook his head.

Getting her to call “uncle” was going to be harder than he’d thought. Keeping himself out of her warm, welcoming body would be even harder. Disregarding what his brain was telling him to do, Jon couldn’t fight the unbearable desire permeating his senses. With trembling fingers, he yanked down the zipper of his jeans and shoved them around his ankles.

That was all the time he could spare as he leaned forward and pushed into her hot, wet body. He was buried to the hilt in one thrust. He stayed there for a moment, soaking up the sounds of her grateful cries, loving every ripple as her muscles clenched around his painfully hard erection.

Glancing up, Jon watched Night pull out his cock and rub it with his hand. Her head was raised and she licked her lips as she watched his friend’s movements.

Night laughed. “Not this time, slave. You’ll have to wait for this cock.” Looking up at him, Night’s eyebrows rose as if to ask “what are you waiting for?”

Jon grinned and gripped her hips. He was vaguely aware of her sharp intake of breath as he touched the heated flesh of her bottom. Her breathing soon turned to pleasured cries and he held her hips firmly in place and powered into her with a force he felt certain was shaking the earth. He saw Night leaning against the other side of the table, no doubt holding it in place, all the while watching and rubbing his own cock.

She came twice, her orgasms fast and furious against him. Gritting his teeth, he continued to pummel her sweet body, refusing to give up his refuge so soon.

Unfortunately, she would not be denied his pleasure and as she came again, her clenching muscles dragged and pulled every drop of come in his body into hers. Jon

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She reached around and lightly caressed his face. He knew he should punish her for moving her hands and coming without permission, but he couldn’t deny himself the delights of her loving touch. He couldn’t recall anyone in his life touching him with such gentleness and love.

Try as he may, he couldn’t see a way to beat her at this bet.

When Night came back into the room, he wasn’t surprised to see Jon leaning over

Carly. She was touching Jon’s face and looking at him with such love in her eyes, he knew his friend would never be able to do what was necessary to convince her to bow out of the investigation. He was too deeply in love with her. Everything about her called upon Jon’s need to take care of her.

Taking a deep breath, Night steadied himself, realizing it would be up to him. She needed to understand this wasn’t fun and games they were playing in the bedroom.

Cassandra never treated sex as an expression of love, only power, and Carly ran the real risk of being hurt badly.

“Well, isn’t this cozy?”

Jon stood up straight and shot him a nasty look before remembering himself and their purpose. He offered an apologetic shrug. She started to stand up as well.

“Don’t move.” Night put a strong hand in the middle of her back and pushed her back down on the table. At her sharp intake of breath, he could tell she was surprised by his rough touch.

“I did not give you permission to move.”

“I-I’m sorry, Master Night.”

“Keep your legs apart and your eyes averted, slave.”

Night held up what he’d gone to the bedroom to retrieve and Jon’s eyes darkened.

Neither of them had breached her ass, nor had they discussed it. They’d both sensed she was a bit afraid of the idea and they were leery to frighten her until she became more accustomed to them. Time had now run out and she’d forced them to take off the kid gloves.

Jon moved into his former position at the head of the table. He didn’t grab her wrists, but instead ran his fingers gently through her hair.

Night shook his head. Jon’s softness was going to get them all killed if they ever made it onto the compound. Jon’s hand stilled as he took a deep breath and he watched his friend’s great effort to return to his former self.

The transformation was staggering. For the first time in years, he felt as if he was facing his teenage friend once again. Jon’s face turned hard and cold and Night realized how much he preferred the man Jon had become. He and Reilly had been wrong. Bit by bit, they’d demanded Jon put away all the good parts of his personality he’d struggled

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Mari Carr to create since leaving the UIA and embarking on his teaching career. Night’s chest tightened. What if Jon couldn’t pull it back again? What if this time the darkness swallowed him whole and refused to release him?

He faced the same fears himself, but somehow it seemed easier for him to turn his emotions off. He’d lived a lifetime as an empty shell.

Carly shifted slightly on the table and Night cursed his cruelty. She was no doubt uncomfortable in the position and he could see from the goose bumps on her arms that she was cold. For a moment, he considered taking her upstairs and keeping her buried under the soft quilts, tied to the bed until this mess with Cassandra was straightened out. He only ever wanted her warm and safe and happy and right now, the idea of holding her captive in order to protect her seemed a lot saner than sending her straight into their past hell.

Jon must have read his thoughts because he moved to stand beside him.

“This will be cold, slave.” Jon took the lube from his hands and as Night watched, Jon spread it around her puckered rosette, pushing a single finger in slowly. Her entire body was tense as Jon moved his finger in and out. “Relax.”

After a few moments, she seemed to adjust to the feeling and Night watched her breathing become steadier. Jon must have felt it as well because he added another finger to the dance. Again, he let her body set the pace. In and out, in and out he pushed until she relaxed. Once she’d accepted three of his fingers with relative ease, Jon removed his hand.

Night took the lube off the table and smeared himself with it. Positioning himself at her opening, he slowly pushed forward until just the head of his cock was lodged in her tight opening. She started to tense up again but Jon was back at her head, leaning down and whispering hot, dark words in her ear. He felt her body’s natural liquid flow from her empty pussy and Night couldn’t resist running his fingers through it, using it to touch and tease the hard nub of her clit.

Jon’s words and his touch worked their magic and she began to push back, silently begging for more of his cock.

“That’s right, slave.” Jon was running his hands through her hair. “Let Night in.

He’s your master now. Your body belongs to him.”

Her movements were erratic and borderline desperate. Night held tight to her hips, refusing to let her direct their play. The more she wanted, the better it would be.

Problem was, he was barely holding on himself. Her body was clenching at him, driving him wild. She sobbed and the sound broke the last of his restraints. Night plunged into her tight, hot depths in one thrust.

She screamed and tried to recoil, but Jon’s strong hand on her back and Night’s firm grip on her hips held her steady. Her body felt like heaven on earth and he felt a stirring in his heart.

Night gave her no more than a few seconds to accept his girth before he let loose with all the need, the desire, the fear locked up inside him. He was overwhelmed by the

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On and on he pounded inside her, silently begging her with his body to take it all away from him. Release him from the chains that had bound him since birth, held him to a life that was cold and lonely and dark.

Her inner muscles clenched and he vaguely sensed she was coming around him, but still he drove on. There was too much. Too much bad stuff inside him and he wanted it out. All of it. Another orgasm ripped through her body and the grip of it was almost painful against his cock. Sweat poured down his face, stinging his eyes and dripping onto the soft skin of her back.

“More!” he cried. “There’s more.” And he continued to ride her. She came for a third time and finally, he was powerless to resist the pull. He emptied himself deep within her.

“Night?” Her voice was rough and came out in a whisper.

He couldn’t move. He was aware of the fact he was probably crushing her against the table, but his arms and legs felt paralyzed.

“Night.” She pushed back against him and he struggled to pull them both up and away from the table. He was only able to remain upright for a second before he fell back into one of the kitchen chairs. She followed him onto the chair, curling up on his lap like a cat. She put her arms around his shoulders and pulled his face into the crook of her neck.

It was then Night realized it wasn’t sweat running down his face, but tears. He was crying. Christ! He’d never cried a day in his life and yet, here in her sweet embrace, he was sobbing like a baby.

She rocked him gently as he tried to stem the flow of tears. Her kind, soft “shhh”

continued to undo him.

He tried to choke out an apology. He’d taken her like a wild animal on the table and he certainly didn’t deserve her consoling hug. When at last he regained control, she pulled his face to hers and kissed him. It was the kiss of an angel and for the first time in his life, he not only felt purged of his sins, he felt new, reborn.

“I love you.” He whispered the words against her lips, knowing in his heart it was too soon to be offering them. They hadn’t known each other a week and yet, it was the truth.

She smiled and kissed his rough cheek. “I love you too, Night Thomas.”

Her words fell around him like a cool waterfall on a hot summer’s day and he wrapped her up tighter in his embrace.

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Jon.

The thought of his friend pulled his thoughts away from her. When he looked around, he realized Jon was no longer in the room. When had he left, and why?

“He’s not here.” She answered his unasked question. “I think he knew we needed a few minutes alone together.”

“I hurt you, Carly. I was too rough.”

She laughed quietly. “When will you fellas figure it out? I love everything you do to me. You didn’t hurt me.”

“Please don’t go to the compound.” The words flew from his lips.

“How can I

not go? You and Jon are risking your lives, your sanity to see this woman brought to justice. I love you both, Night. There’s no way I can stay behind. Not if there’s a chance I can help you. Do you think I don’t see how much this is hurting you? Hurting Jon? Please, please don’t ask me to stay behind.”

“We don’t deserve you.” He smiled as he spoke but he’d never meant any words more.

She giggled. “I’m going to need that in writing. For all those times the two of you become overbearing and impossible.”

Night joined her laughter. It felt good to be teasing and joking, especially after the intensity of the last few moments. Leave it to her to know exactly how to make him feel better.

“We’re never overbearing and impossible. You must be thinking of someone else.”

“Actually, I was using the kindest descriptions. I left out arrogant, possessive, demanding—”

He laughed louder. “Well, it seems like you have your work cut out for you. Maybe it isn’t Jon and I who are doing the training here.”

“Now you’re getting it.” She stood and pulled him to his feet. “Come on. Let’s find

Jon. I only have twenty-two more hours to whip you boys into shape.”

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Chapter Fifteen

Carly drove home from work, her mind racing over the events of the past couple weeks. She had held the men to their promise and the word “uncle” never crossed her lips during those twenty-four hours. Of course, if she was being honest with herself, she’d admit they didn’t try too hard after their tryst in the kitchen. She suspected something very vital had changed within both men during that episode, although she couldn’t quite put her finger on what.

She’d witnessed firsthand the pain the past was causing them and—regardless of the peril—she was determined she would help them find closure. She refused to let either of them fall victim to any more abuse at that vicious woman’s hands. It took all the strength in her body to remain still the night Jon had received the phone call from

Cassandra. Even now, she felt a pain in her chest as she recalled the lost sound in his voice. She’d immediately followed the men downstairs and listened to their anguished discussion. She could only imagine the pain Jon had suffered, watching his first love murdered so brutally by Rex.

Like Jon, she felt no desire to see the past dragged back up, but she agreed with

Night that it was way past time to see Cassandra punished for her crimes. Besides, as long as Trisha remained at the retreat center and in danger, she refused to back down from that goal. The young girl had worked as an aide in the office and they had become quite close. Carly was aware things at home had been rough. Trisha’s father had recently lost his job and had begun drinking as a result. Even that, however, seemed to pale in comparison to the thought that Trisha was in danger of being sold into a life of prostitution…

“Shit!”

She pulled her car off the road and claimed an empty parking spot in front of Food

Lion. Her hands started trembling and suddenly she was sobbing uncontrollably.

What the hell was she doing? In less than two weeks, she’d thrown herself right smack dab in the middle of a mission like something out of a Tom Clancy novel. She was immersing herself in a dangerous, bizarre investigation where there was a very real possibility she could be raped, shot or killed. To make matters worse, there were other women’s lives depending on her success or failure.

She wasn’t this kind of woman. Hell, she’d stayed in an unhappy marriage for ten years simply because it was easier than seeking a divorce. She’d never done anything more life-threatening than skiing and even that risk was taken on the freaking bunny slope. And despite all of that, she was willing to fly up the mountain to enter the retreat center because the fact of the matter was, that prospect seemed less frightening than dealing with what was actually terrifying the hell out of her.

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She’d fallen headlong in love with two men who, amazingly enough, seemed to be equally in love with her. Night and Jon, in the course of a few days, had become as vital to her as the air she breathed.

Christ. She couldn’t keep both of them.

Could she

? A ménage fantasy is one thing, but were there people out there who actually lived the fantasy every day—for the rest of their lives? Neither one of the men seemed the least bit fazed about their unusual relationship. Every night, the three of them fell into bed together as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But what happened when the real world intruded? People would eventually start to notice if she was constantly on the arms of two men.

Holy hell, what would her family say? Even though they were pretty liberal-

minded and they’d met Jon and loved him, what would they think if she added Night to the equation? A ménage. How the hell would she explain it to them? Talk about your awkward Thanksgiving dinner conversations.

Besides, what if, once they avenged the crimes committed by Cassandra and put the pain of their past behind them, they decided to move on? What if—in their attempts to move on—they decided to leave her behind?

She struggled to stem the flow of tears. If she walked into the house with puffy, red eyes they would pounce on her in a moment, demanding to know what was wrong.

What would she say? Both of them were facing their own fears right now, very real fears—and she suddenly felt petty for her tears. They’d endured years of a strange form of child abuse and now they were being forced to confront one of their abusers. How could she add to their worries with her own foolish concerns?

They needed to take this relationship one day at a time. Her worries could wait. She wouldn’t add to their problems. Not now, when there was so much to truly overcome.

They had to settle the past before they could look to the future. She struggled to push her own fears aside. They needed her and she would be just what they needed. They’d face this mission together and they would win. She refused to think otherwise. Then, they would sit down and have a long chat about the long run.

Feeling somewhat better, she blotted her tears, fixed her makeup and headed for

Jon’s townhouse.

* * * * *

“I’m home.” Carly heard voices in the kitchen so she threw down her purse and headed in that direction. Reilly and Jon were in a heated discussion, seated opposite each other at the table. Night was slamming cabinets and drawers in what appeared to be his attempt at making dinner.

“Home sweet home.” She spoke the words with a light laugh, but the men at the table ignored her joke and continued glaring at each other. Night crossed the room to place a soft kiss on her cheek, but even his face was hard and serious. She took another glance around and then groaned.

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“Not this again. Jon, it’s been decided. Today was my last day at work. I’ve put in for two weeks’ vacation and I’m going to the retreat center tomorrow.”

“All I’m suggesting is that you wait two more days.” Jon stood up but didn’t approach her.

She rolled her eyes. “Two more days will only put me there the day before you guys show up. How on earth can I gather any useful information in that amount of time? Besides, your mother is expecting me tomorrow.” The day after she’d convinced them to allow her to participate in their covert operation, she’d returned to the retreat center to accept the position as office manager. They had preceded her up the mountain that day and hidden out at Night’s old observation post—armed and ready to storm the place if she didn’t leave the compound before two hours had passed, regardless of

Reilly’s protests.

“You aren’t going up there to find information. Just to make sure the women are okay. Don’t you dare try to start snooping around! Lock yourself in your room every night.”

“I know all that, Jon. We’ve been through this about a million times.”

Reilly frowned. “Do what Jon says, by all means, but don’t forget—”

“Don’t forget to be such a nuisance that Cassandra is annoyed enough with me to put me on top of her list of women to train and sell.” She waved her hand in front of a fake yawn. “Isn’t there anything else you fellas talk about besides your missions?

Sports, cars, hot babes? You know, guy stuff?”

Night chuckled at her jest, but Jon sat back down heavily on the chair and she took a closer look at his face. There were dark circles under his eyes and she recognized the tension in his neck and shoulders.

“Jon, I’ll only be alone for three days. I’ve been in the center before, twice now, and believe me, I don’t think anything sinister will happen to me in that little bit of time.

We’re not even sure Cassandra has started her scam. For all we know, the women living there are still blissfully unaware of the danger they’re facing.”

Night reached for her hand. “Beauty, we have no way of knowing there aren’t other men besides the guards living inside that compound. There is always the chance

Cassandra has other men in place who are doing exactly what we’re afraid she’ll ask us to do. Hell, maybe she has the guards doing more than just protecting the joint.”

“And, if not other men or the guards, Mommie Dearest may be initiating the training herself. She doesn’t really care who’s on the receiving end of her abuse. Carly, do you know what could happen to you in three days?” Jon’s voice was anguished and she fought to harden her heart against the sound.

“My mind is made up, Jon. I’m sorry.”

Reilly stood and she expected to see a look of victory on his face. After all, he’d been pushing for her to go back to the compound immediately. Instead, she saw the same tired resignation in his eyes she’d witnessed in Night and Jon’s faces. She didn’t

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She thought of the difference she’d seen in Jon in the short time she’d known him.

He’d been so distant and serious when he first started teaching at Lowell. As the months passed, she’d watched a funny, compassionate man emerge and her heart suddenly ached to see that man again.

Then, glancing over at Night, she decided that regardless of the outcome of this case, he wasn’t going back to work with Reilly. She didn’t care what it took to convince him, she simply wouldn’t let him continue to live such a dangerous, miserable lifestyle.

“I have to go.” Reilly placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You’re an amazingly courageous woman, Ms. James, but remember your part. Don’t try to be a hero and don’t do anything foolish. Simply show up ready to work and then observe.

Any small tidbits of information you can feed Night and Jon upon their arrival will make their jobs that much easier. However, I do not want you stepping out of your role.

Jon’s right. You are not to go snooping around or asking a bunch of questions. Stay safe until the cavalry arrives or my life won’t be worth a damn.”

She started to laugh at his comment, but a quick glance at Night and Jon proved his words were no joke. She didn’t doubt the men would hunt Reilly down like a rabid dog if anything were to happen to her.

“I’ll be fine, Reilly. Honestly. I’m not about to place myself in any serious danger.”

Jon barked out a harsh laugh and Night shook his head. Reilly was the only one to respond to her words. “Merely placing yourself in Cassandra Walker’s presence is more dangerous than a game of Russian roulette. Bear that in mind and watch your step every minute. Never, never underestimate her.”

* * * * *

Reilly’s words were still ringing in her ears as she brushed her teeth and got ready for bed. She could hear Night and Jon speaking in hushed tones in the bedroom. She was surprised they hadn’t broached the subject of her leaving in the morning again.

After Reilly left, they’d had a lovely dinner and dessert and spent most of the evening simply talking about nothing in particular. The whole night had been relaxing and peaceful and she could easily imagine herself spending every night of the rest of her life in the same manner.

Turning off the light, she walked back into the bedroom and silently chastised herself for the butterflies twittering in her stomach. She wondered if the incredible pleasure of sleeping with two men would ever wear off. She loved the feeling of their hands and mouths on her and considered the fact that for the first time in her life, she could actually sympathize with a drug addict. She craved these nights to such an extreme she worried about exactly what she would give to keep them with her always.

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The feelings that overpowered her on the drive home this afternoon crept back into her subconscious, but she beat them away. For the next few nights she would be sleeping alone and she didn’t want to waste one moment of tonight to fear or anxiety.

“It’s about time you got out of that bathroom. We were about to come get you.”

Jon’s words were light and he smiled at her as he patted her place beside him in the middle of the bed. It was amazing how quickly such small things had fallen into place.

The way they slept each night, her spot between them on the living room couch, even household chores had become second nature to them as they each quietly assumed their places.

She crawled under the covers and scooted next to Jon, whom she was happy to see was conveniently naked. Apparently he felt the same should be true for her and he quickly swept her sleepshirt over her head.

“That’s better.” He spoke the words against her lips as he kissed her softly. She could hear Night undressing behind her and felt the mattress dip as he joined them.

“Do you mind if I get some of those kisses?” Night slowly turned her toward him and placed his lips against hers. She marveled at the difference in each kiss. Jon kissed her as if his life depended on it and each kiss was destined to be the last. She felt such urgency in him, she wondered if he would ever feel secure in the knowledge she would never leave him. Night, on the other hand, kissed as if he had all the time in the world.

His kisses were reflective of his personality and she reveled in the slow, deep, easy touches of his tongue against hers.

Jon’s hands drifted down to her waist and she moved into his body, allowing him to spoon her. His hands circled to the front and rested for only a moment on her breasts before he started playing with her nipples. Night deepened his kiss as Jon’s fingers became rougher, more demanding. She pushed away from Night, desperate to catch her breath, but neither man seemed inclined to grant her even a moment’s reprieve.

“Come back here,” Night demanded as he rolled onto his back and pulled her over him. She draped her legs over his waist as he pulled her lips back to his. Jon knelt between her spread thighs from behind and she gasped as he shoved three fingers inside her. Jon gathered the moisture there and brought it back to her ass.

Neither man had taken her there since her first time with Night on the kitchen table.

Her initial fears over the position seemed silly now and she barely restrained from begging Jon to take her there right now. She wanted to feel him filling her tight hole, but she knew from experience the more she begged, the more the men seemed to take a perverse delight in torturing her with her desires. Last night, they’d kept her on the precipice of an orgasm for close to an hour before allowing her release.

As she struggled to take a deep breath, Night moved his attentions from her lips to her breasts and she felt his tongue and teeth teasing the sensitive tips. Shaking her head against the sensations building in her body, she became aware of the fact Night and Jon seemed to be completely aware of each other’s actions. Each time Night nipped sharply

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After several moments of the glorious treatment, they both just stopped. Night pulled back and looked at her. She felt him slip a condom package into her hand. “Put it on me, Beauty.”

She grinned and quickly did as he asked. Without further ado, Night lifted her and placed his cock at her opening. With strong hands on her hips, he pulled her down until he was fully seated within her. She started to rise back up, but Night stopped her and shook his head. “Not yet, Carly.”

She was confused—until she felt Jon’s cock pushing against her ass. She started to move away but Night held her still. Both men stopped for a moment and Jon bent forward, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Everything,” he whispered in her ear and her body relaxed at the sound of the word.

She nodded and Jon started to push his cock into the tight chamber.

“Breathe, Beauty.” She released the breath she didn’t remember holding. Night was motionless beneath her, yet she could feel his gaze on her face. Knowing he was studying her response made her super-aware of her facial expressions. She struggled to remain composed despite the slight pinches and discomfort she felt as Jon continued to make his way inside. When she felt the back of Jon’s thighs pressed tightly against hers, her body gave itself up to the intense feeling and she shuddered.

“Okay?” Jon asked as he bent forward to place a comforting kiss on the back of her neck.

“Yes.” She’d never in her entire life experienced such a feeling. She was completely surrounded by hard male flesh. She was burning up inside and out and all she wanted was more. As if in response to her silent plea, Night slowly lifted her off his cock. He pulled out nearly to the head before changing her direction and bringing her back to him. Jon picked up the rhythm and soon each man was thrusting in tandem, until they stoked the embers inside her to a roaring blaze.

She screamed with each orgasm, yet on they pressed, pushing her further and higher than she’d ever been in her life. Just when she felt certain she would die of the pleasure, she heard Jon give in to his climax.

“Christ!” he yelled as she felt him coming inside her ass, hard spurts of come filling her.

Night soon followed suit, his hands on her hips tightening almost painfully as he gave into the pleasure she could see written on his face. “I love you,” he hissed in the midst of his orgasm and she felt her heart expand at his words until it felt like it would burst with happiness.

Regardless of what happened on that mountain, she knew nothing could destroy the way she felt right now. She’d been given the most perfect moment of her life, lost in the arms of the two men she knew without a doubt she would love until the day she died.

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Jon fell back toward his side of the bed, taking her with him, and she fell asleep tucked into the strong arms of her men, her lovers, her future.

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Chapter Sixteen

Three days seemed to last an eternity. Now, standing before the door of his childhood home, Jon was surprised at how small the compound suddenly looked. As a boy, first arriving, he remembered thinking how grand the place was. The huge house with its numerous outbuildings seemed like a city unto itself and the young Jon had been impressed. Now, as he took in the sagging front porch, he realized how time and perspective accentuated the defects that had always been there.

Taking a deep breath, he recalled Reilly’s final instructions to them.

Think with your head, not your heart.

The words whirled in his mind like a personal mantra. He wouldn’t fail Carly, Trisha Jackson or any of the other women whose lives were now in grave peril thanks to his mother.

“Same old hellhole.” Night seemed to be doing his own reminiscing.

“Yep. You ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Ringing the bell, he was surprised when the door was answered almost immediately. A cold chill traveled down his spine at the sight of Rex Thomas’ right-

hand man.

“Sammy,” Jon said.

The years had not been kind to the large man. Most of his hair had fallen out and the remaining few strands had turned stark white. The bareness of his head emphasized the scars on his forehead and right cheek and the fact that his nose had been broken more than once. His once tremendous height was diminished a bit by a slight stoop.

“Master Jon. Master Night.” The man’s drawl, however, was still the same, still eerily devoid of emotion. They used to scare the younger kids of the cult by telling them

Sammy was a zombie.

“We’ve come to see Cassandra.” As he spoke, Jon saw the thin line of wire around the doorframe. Some sort of high-tech security system? That would explain how his mother had detected the bugs on the female agents Reilly had sent. Thank God they’d had the foresight not to send Carly in wearing a wire. It had been discussed and dismissed as Reilly suspected Cassandra’s ability to detect law enforcement was based more on technology than intuition.

“Of course, sir. She is expecting you both.” Sammy moved aside to admit them and he felt as if he’d been transported back in time. The foyer of the house hadn’t changed a bit. The same dingy curtains hung in the windows and the panes looked as if they’d never seen a drop of water. His initials still marred the top of the entryway table, carved there when he was twelve with the pocketknife he’d received as a birthday gift.

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“If you will wait here, I will tell Mistress you have arrived.”

They watched Sammy limp away.

“Mistress, eh? Clearly Cassandra’s up to at least some of her old tricks.”

Jon shot Night a warning glance and Night grimaced. The walls in this old house had ears and his friend was going to have to watch his wayward tongue.

After several moments, Sammy returned. “If you will come this way, Master Jon, Master Night. My mistress will see you now.”

Following at a leisurely pace, Jon took in each room they passed, uneasy by the silence of the place. As closely as they could figure, there were roughly twenty guards working on the compound and, according to Reilly, there were close to forty women and children staying at the retreat. Where were they? The house was eerily still and quiet.

He saw a shadow move farther down the hallway. No doubt a guard. Carly had mentioned glimpsing a couple inside the house during her visits here. He couldn’t stop the pang in his heart as he wondered where she was and if she was okay. She’d spent three days alone and unprotected in this place. He still couldn’t believe he’d agreed to such a thing. If anything had happened to her, he’d never forgive himself. Night elbowed him and he looked up to see him gesturing to where they were heading.

He wasn’t surprised when Sammy led them to Rex’s former office. Of course

Cassandra would claim the largest and grandest room in the house. Entering the room, he braced himself to see the woman he had hoped never to lay eyes on again.

She sat behind a large mahogany desk, writing in a ledger. His first thought was that she hadn’t changed a bit. Reilly’s joke about genetics clearly held no truth. He’d inherited all of his looks from the woman sitting before him. From his dark hair to his height, from his deep-set chocolate-brown eyes to his dimples—all of it came from her.

Even now, as he studied her, he silently marveled at her impossible youthfulness. Her raven hair contained only a handful of white strands and no doubt she’s found a way to manipulate nature and forbid wrinkles from marring her still-smooth skin.

She continued writing in her book and he decided it was time to set the tone with her. Unwilling to be ignored, he cleared his throat. “Hello, Mother dear.”

“Don’t you dare call me that, Jon Walker. Someone might hear you.” Cassandra looked up and glanced around him to make sure the door was closed to prying ears.

“Yes, I imagine it wouldn’t help your youthful image for people to realize you have a thirty-two-year-old son.

“Shhhh!” Cassandra hissed before putting down her pen and composing herself.

He had always been amazed by her hair-trigger emotions. She could be furious and snarling like a wet cat one second and sweet as honey the next. Her displeasure at his greeting dissolved and she offered him what anyone who didn’t know her might mistake as genuine delight at seeing her long-lost son. “I must say I’m surprised you came, Jon.”

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Her gaze landed on Night and she smiled smugly. “Night, my dear, dear boy. I

knew I could count on you coming to see me, but Jon…” She looked back toward him. “I

was concerned now that you’d become a respectable teacher, you would be too good to associate with the likes of me. I was so very worried you hadn’t forgiven me for the way

I abandoned you.”

Jon narrowed his eyes. He was uneasy with his mother’s knowledge of his career.

Exactly how much did she know about them? Surely if she knew the whole truth she wouldn’t have asked to see them. What would they do if she’d discovered their role in destroying the cult fifteen years ago? Something about the way she’d said the word abandoned echoed in his mind. This could be a trap after all—and they’d left their weapons at home. Given the security system they’d just passed through it was a good thing, but he felt naked without the extra protection.

“Keeping tabs on me, Mother?” He spoke the word provokingly, hoping she would show her hand quickly. He wasn’t in the mood to prolong this reunion any more than necessary. Hell, right now, he’d settle for grabbing Carly and running as fast and as far as his feet would take them. It had definitely been a mistake for him to come. All the old anger and resentment he thought he’d shed over the years came bubbling over. “I

didn’t know you cared. I’m touched.”

“You will call me ‘Cassandra’.” She clenched her teeth tightly and she was clearly fighting to maintain her composure. “I admit when I decided to look you and Night up, I certainly didn’t expect to find what I did. Who’d have guessed my sex-stud son would actually graduate from college? High school English teacher. I had a good long laugh when I heard that one. What a clever man you’ve grown up to be. All those sweet young girls at your disposal. What exactly does a girl have to do to earn an ‘A’ in your class, Jon?”

Christ. Only his mother would be proud of a son she believed to be a pedophile. He swallowed hard, his hands clasped into fists at his sides. Night cleared his throat and again Reilly’s words washed through his mind.

Head, not heart, Jon.

Punching the woman—Mother or not—wouldn’t gain her trust and, much as it rubbed against the grain, he needed her trust to succeed in destroying her once and for all. He had to keep his cool. Obviously she wouldn’t reveal anything if she sensed his hostility. It was time to change tactics. Jon took a deep breath and considered the way she studied him intently, then he quickly changed the subject. “I’m surprised you came back here to set up house again. Where on earth did you dig up Sammy after all these years?”

Cassandra grinned, preening under what she falsely believed to be his praise. “He found me, actually. He’d spent thirteen years in prison before he was granted parole.

As soon as he was released, he returned to his mistress. I had to retrain him again, of course, but he’s proven himself to be a worthy slave.”

“Sign out front says Women’s Retreat Center. No cult this time around?” Jon noticed for the first time his mother wasn’t as composed as she seemed. He detected a

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“I’ve turned over a new leaf, Jon. You aren’t the only one who can do such a thing, you know. I’ve spent years eaten up with remorse over my part in Rex’s damn cult. Of course, the man had brainwashed me, so I suppose I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”

Jon felt rather than heard Night’s soft growl and he moved toward the window, hoping to distract Cassandra from seeing Night’s anger while giving his friend a chance to cool off.

Jon laughed at her words. “A new leaf? Come on, Cassandra. You forget who you’re talking to. Do you really expect us to believe you’re truly helping women in need?”

“I’m offering them a new life, one completely different from whatever they’re running from. I was actually hoping the two of you would help me. I’ve missed you both so much these past few years, but I was afraid you were angry and wouldn’t want to see me. I’d like for us to try to be a family again, Jon, and this new business venture could be the way.”

“What do I know about helping abused women? Or Night, for that matter? We’re not psychologists or counselors,” Jon said.

Cassandra laughed and the high-pitched sound of it made the hairs on his arms stand on end. “Oh but my dear boy, we all know you both have other talents when it comes to women.”

When Night spoke, Jon noticed his friend had apparently regained control of his temper. Night’s voice was calm and casual as he joked with her. “Cassandra, the only talent we possess in terms of women comes at the end of a whip.”

The entire composure of Cassandra’s face twisted from edginess to outright glee.

“So the two of you still use your training? The training I gave you?”

Night gave a cold chuckle. “It’s not like we’re bound to forget something like that.

How could we go back to vanilla sex once we’d gorged ourselves on banana splits for years?”

Cassandra broke into delighted peals of laughter and Jon forced a grin to his lips.

“Wonderful, wonderful! And you still perform together?”

“More often than not.” Jon was impressed by the coolness of Night’s answers.

Reilly had been right to send them in together. When one faltered, the other was there to pick up the slack. Jon could never have maintained his composure throughout this entire conversation alone.

“Why do you want to know? If this is truly a retreat center for domestic abuse victims, I hardly think you need two Doms,” Jon said. Cassandra looked as if she wanted to dispute that fact, but she hesitated.

So…Mommie Dearest wasn’t quite ready to welcome them back to the fold.

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Night must have noticed, as he offered her another nudge. “I’ll admit, Cassandra, we’ve looked for you from time to time. We visit The Devil’s Lair whenever we’re in the city together, but you’ve never been there. Don’t tell me you’re the one who’s turned vanilla.”

Jon smiled at Night’s mention of the underground sex club. Cassandra would be familiar with the name and the fact they were members would go a long way toward convincing her they were still involved in the scene.

“The Devil’s Lair.” Cassandra’s face betrayed her interest. “That’s quite an exclusive club. Belongs to Roberto Marcelli, doesn’t it?”

“Jonathan Price owns The Devil’s Lair.” Jon’s answer was smooth. Apparently his mother wasn’t finished throwing up hoops for them to jump through. “Marcelli operates his club, Twilight, out of L.A.”

“Oh that’s right, how silly of me.”

“Cassandra, why don’t we cut to the chase? After fifteen years of silence, I find it hard to believe you called us here to chat about your charitable endeavors. If there’s an interesting offer on the table I’d like to hear it, and I can tell you right now, I don’t find weepy women particularly interesting. Unless, of course, they’re crying for more.”

Night’s voice was perfect, Jon noted. Powerful with just the right amount of desperation. If Cassandra really had bought the company line, she would think Night was currently between lousy jobs and not averse to participating in her shady dealings.

“Dear Night. You are so much like your father. Too impatient to pay attention to the social niceties.”

“Time is money, Cassandra”

“So it is. Your father was quite fond of that saying as well. You look quite a lot like him, you know. With his fair hair and boyish good looks, it’s no wonder he was as successful as he was. Women would follow him into fire without question. I suspect the same holds true for you.”

“I hold my own with the fairer sex.” Only Jon saw the slight tension in Night’s body as Cassandra compared him to his father. He knew how much Night tried to divorce himself from any possible comparisons. Problem was, as much as he looked like his mother, Night was the mirror image of his father. Fate could play cruel tricks at times.

“I bet you do. And you, Jon?” Cassandra turned her attention back to him. “With your respectable background, I confess I’m surprised to hear you aren’t married.”

“Marriage limits a man’s options.” His reply was straight from the Cassandra

Walker Book of Quotes.

She laughed. “So you really   remember your training. I’ve always wondered. The do two of you were magnificent together in the training room. To see you claim a woman’s body, to whip and chain her, to play her like a violin was a thing of beauty. In all my life, I must admit the things I’m most proud of are the two of you.”

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He gritted his teeth against the words that threatened to fly out. His mother’s crowning glory?

Them

? Christ. The woman was deranged.

“And this retreat center?” Night was obviously trying to get the conversation back on track, sensing Jon’s sudden anger. Night gave him a quick warning glance.

“Actually, now that the two of you are here, everything seems to be falling right into place.”

“How so?” Night asked.

“I’m in need of trainers.”

“At a domestic abuse shelter?” Jon tried to make the words seem light and unconcerned, but he was afraid he fell a bit short of the mark.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes and he watched her study him once again with suspicion and distrust.

Night chuckled and Cassandra turned her gaze to him. “Is something funny, Night?”

“Not at all. It’s quite ingenious, actually. The shelter is a ruse, isn’t it? You lure these women here with the promise of safety and then…?”

Night paused hoping Cassandra would fill in the blank, but she merely graced his friend with a sinister smile.

“Oh I can assure you this   a shelter. We have helped countless women. In fact, is we’ve found employment for several of the women with some of the local businesses.

They’re set to embark on their new lives as independent women at the beginning of next week.”

Jon was confused by her comments. Cassandra really was operating an aboveboard shelter? Night, however, seemed to grasp the lie between her words.

Night smiled and nodded. “Brilliant. I take my hat off to you, Cassandra. This is an amazing setup.”

Cassandra preened under Night’s praise. “You’re so much like your father, Night.

H e  w o u l d  h a v e  a d o r e d  t h i s  p l a n  i f  h i s  m i n d  h a d n ’ t  b e e n  s o  t w i s t e d  b y  a l l  t h o s e delusions of grandeur. Silly man had such a God complex. No amount of reasoning would beat it out of him. And believe me, I tried.”

The image of a bustier-clad Cassandra standing over a bound Rex with a whip in her hand flew through Jon’s memories. His mother had definitely worn the leather pants in her relationship with the Reverend Thomas. One quick glance at Night confirmed he’d already suspected Rex’s secret penchant for submission. It certainly explained why he’d so readily renounced his harem and Night’s mother upon

Cassandra’s arrival.

“Clearly,” Cassandra continued, “a college degree isn’t everything.” Jon felt the insult, but refused to rise to the bait.

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Night pretended not to hear Cassandra’s slur and continued complimenting her plan. “So you separate the women into groups? Marketable and unmarketable? Is that about right?”

Cassandra grinned evilly, yet she didn’t seem ready to confess all. Not that a confession would make a difference. Regardless of what his mother told them in this room, they would need proof if they intended to see her arrested and prosecuted. “Not all women who come here of their own accord would be appropriate for my self-

improvement program. By coming and receiving top-notch care, finding safety within these walls, those who don’t match our needs can be sent out as missionaries. Ah,”

Cassandra glanced heavenward, “Rex would have loved that word.”

Jon could have told his mother she’d be better off looking toward the floor when speaking of that devil, but he bit his tongue.

“And the women you’ve helped?” Jon prodded.

“Spread the word to other women. In just a few months, I’ve managed to snare quite a few suitable young women.”

Jon felt nauseous at the thought. Cassandra’s plan was the most brutal and heartless type of exploitation he could imagine. By preying on the defenseless, she was using her victims to lure in even more women.

“And how many suitable women have you acquired?” Night asked. Jon was more and more impressed by his smooth exterior.

“There are roughly forty women and children here now and of those, there are at least eight who meet the criteria for my special program. I’ve taken the liberty of separating them from the rest. Out of sight, out of mind, you know. The residents think the women chose to return to their abusers. Actually, it’s quite funny. The majority of the women and children here think they’ve found heaven on earth within these walls.

Much like Rex’s cult followers did all those years ago. Ah, who says history doesn’t repeat itself?” Cassandra seemed lost in her own private self-congratulations.

“Have you begun the training?” Night asked.

Cassandra smiled and shrugged, but from the look on her face, Jon had no doubt she most certainly had begun abusing her victims.

“And the children?” Jon forced the question from his lips. What the hell was she doing to the kids?

“Ah, so you are a budding entrepreneur after all, my dear, clever boy. Eventually, once we’ve established ourselves as a reputable shelter, I was hoping to move into a bit of child pornography. However, it’s vital we not move too quickly. I’m sure the authorities are keeping a close eye on this place thanks to Rex’s greediness and a bit of trouble I had at my previous shelter. If Rex had one major failing, it was that he was always looking to make the easy buck and he diversified too quickly. I warned him time and time again, but he simply wouldn’t listen. I don’t intend to make the same mistakes.”

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He studied his mother’s face as she spoke. She truly did think of herself as a successful businesswoman. The fact that she was dealing in flesh and blood didn’t seem to register in her mind. She used fear and intimidation as easily as most people used a toaster. He racked his brains to recall the woman who’d held him when he was small whenever he fell down or had a bad dream. Where had she gone? Had she ever really been there or had he just imagined her?

“So all these women have come here from abusive situations?” Thank God Night hadn’t lost sight of their purpose. Jon’s mind was whirling with disbelief and horror.

“All except the last one. She actually came at my request to serve as the office manager. It was an inspired move on my part, I must confess. I hadn’t even considered advertising out positions as a way of pulling in suitable candidates, but Carly opened my eyes to a whole new avenue.”

“Carly?” Jon asked.

“You probably know her, Jon. She was the secretary at your school before I lured her away.”

He was careful to keep his face impassive. Carly’s life could depend on it. “Carly

James? Yes, I know who she is. I was curious about her resignation in the middle of the school year.”

“Landing her was a coup. Of course, she’s been a bit of a bother these first few days.

Poor girl is taking her duties far too seriously. I’m afraid I’ll have to move her to the dungeon sooner rather than later if she doesn’t stop being such a thorn in my side.”

He fought to hide his grin. Carly was stirring up the hornet’s nest just as they had planned. And better yet, she wasn’t being held captive in the dungeon yet. She was still safe. Thank God.

Then, as if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

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Chapter Seventeen

Glancing casually at his watch, Jon saw it was precisely noon. He held his breath as

Sammy opened the door, desperate for a glimpse of his lover. They’d agreed that if she was able, Carly would interrupt their interview with Cassandra at this designated time.

The plan was that she would make a tremendous scene and Night and Jon, appalled by her behavior, would both express a desire to tame the wildcat woman.

“M-mistress,” Sammy stammered, his bald head bowed low.

Cassandra rose from behind her desk, fury written plainly on her face. “How dare you disrupt this meeting!”

Sammy winced at her furious tone and Jon suspected the man would pay for his sins severely tonight in the dungeon. He was surprised by the pity he suddenly felt for the old man. “I beg your pardon, Mistress, but Ms. James insisted, she would not—”

Carly attempted to shove her way past Sammy and into the room. “Oh for heaven’s sake, let me in you fool. It is imperative that I see Mrs. Thomas—now!”

Jon watched Cassandra’s eyes narrow with anger before she nodded stiffly for

Sammy to step aside.

Carly stormed into the room and straight up to his mother without casting a glance around the room. Her performance was magnificent. She looked every bit the indignant employee and Jon felt pride swelling in his chest at the enormity of her courage.

“Mrs. Thomas, I hate to be a bother, but I really must insist that you send someone downtown to pick up those filing cabinets I requested. I don’t know how you expect me to organize a damn thing with only packing boxes! On top of that, there isn’t a Post-it in the entire building. How can I work without Post-its?”

Jon took a step forward when he noticed his mother’s hand clench tightly at her side. He hoped to divert Cassandra’s attention to him before she struck Carly for her impertinence. He suspected no one had ever dared to question his mother’s authority—

and yet something told him Cassandra wouldn’t want them to witness her anger. She was working too hard to seem calm, cool and collected.

His movement had the desired effect as he watched an eerie calm pass over

Cassandra’s face and, thankfully, the threat to Carly diminished.

“I assure you, my dear, all your concerns will be addressed in due time. But now, I’d like to introduce you to my son and his friend.”

Carly turned to face him as if suddenly surprised to find other people in the room.

Her performance was worthy of an Academy Award. “Jon Walker?”

“Oh that’s right,” Cassandra said gleefully. “I forgot the two of you used to work together.”

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“I’m afraid our paths didn’t cross nearly enough,” Jon said with as much charm as he could muster. He was struggling not to pull her into his arms and kiss her until the next Ice Age. She looked lovelier than he’d ever seen her and he struggled to catch his breath as he took in her healthy, if somewhat tired appearance. She’d apparently survived her three days alone in hell unscathed, but the dark shadows beneath her eyes betrayed the fact she’d not been sleeping well.

Jon proffered his hand, which she accepted, and he gave her a quick wink. He detected the slightest tremble in her touch and realized she wasn’t as unaffected by his presence as she seemed. He sensed a wave of relief and—God bless her wanton soul—a bit of desire in her gaze.

Night stepped forward as well. “And I’m the only man willing to befriend this poor soul. It’s a cross to bear at times—listening to all those dull school stories—but someone has to do it. Night Thomas, at your service.”

She giggled at his words, seemingly enchanted by his good looks. Her actions were so reminiscent of those of every woman who’d ever crossed his friend’s path, Jon could barely restrain from breaking into applause. “You truly are a saint, Mr. Thomas. A

martyr among men.”

Night smiled at her friendly jest and Jon watched Cassandra study the interaction.

He silently prayed Carly’s earlier rudeness had done the trick. He had no doubt

Cassandra would want to punish her for her transgressions and then get her out of her hair as quickly as possible. Although God help him if that was true because they would never lift a finger to truly harm Carly. Undercover or not. Right now, the best they could hope for was to stall for time while searching for evidence of his mother’s crimes.

“I was just telling my son how fortunate the center has been to retain you as our office manager.”

Carly turned back to Cassandra and the flirty smile she’d offered them died on her lips. “Yes, well, I’m not sure how much longer I intend to stay. I hate to offer ultimatums, Mrs. Thomas, but if you haven’t gotten me the materials I need by tomorrow, I’m afraid I’ll have to quit.”

Turning, Carly nodded at them. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Thomas, and a pleasure to see you again, Jon. Goodbye.”

With that parting shot, she left the room, shutting the door behind her with just the right amount of force.

His mother picked up the letter opener from her desk and flung it like a professional knife thrower at the wooden door. The razor-sharp instrument lodged there, quivering for a few seconds. Christ, Jon thought, his mother was lethal in her anger. He prayed Carly hadn’t overplayed her hand.

“Well, I cannot allow that kind of insolence to continue. I’m afraid Ms. James needs to learn some respect.” Cassandra grinned evilly and Jon was taken aback by how ugly she became in her rage. “I supposed she will have to join Sammy tonight at the end of my whip.”

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He blanched at her pronouncement. There was no way Jon would allow his mother to dole out any punishment to Carly. Given her anger, he had little doubt Cassandra would strip all the skin off their beloved’s back.

“Actually,” Night answered casually, “I was hoping you’d let   punish that little us trollop. Uptight prude like that would be a delight to break.” Night mimicked

Cassandra’s own nasty smile and Jon marveled at how much his friend suddenly looked like Rex. “I don’t imagine she’s ever been tied up and forced to service two

Masters.” Night looked at him, slapping him lightly on the back. “Was that bitch always so haughty at your school as well?”

He forced a smug laugh and followed Night’s lead, adopting the arrogant, chauvinistic tone. “Dear God, yes. Believe me, the entire school breathed a sigh of relief when she resigned. I’ve often thought a good, hard fucking would cure her of her stuck-

up ways.”

Cassandra giggled with glee. “Now, now, boys. Let’s don’t get ahead of ourselves.

We haven’t even discussed the possibility of you joining me in this venture.”

Night reacted with enough outrage that Jon wondered who the better performer was—his best friend or Carly.

“Cassandra. Let’s face it. Talented as you are in the dungeon, you can’t run this retreat, solicit buyers and train the slaves. I’m assuming most of your perspective buyers will be male, so it stands to reason the slaves should be trained by capable

Doms. That   why you called us back, isn’t it? You said you were in need of trainers.

is

Now I can’t speak for Jon, but I for one have never looked a gift horse in the mouth.

This setup is too good to be true.”

“Night, I am a businesswoman and I’m sure you’ll understand if, after all these years, I can’t simply offer you my trust without some reassurances. Despite the fact I

took you under my wing and cared for you after your dear mother died, I don’t think I

would be out of line in asking for perhaps a bit of proof from the two of you that you truly are willing to go the distance in this venture. Let’s call it an act of good faith.”

Although Cassandra was still speaking to Night, Jon could feel her sideways glances at him. Clearly her concerns didn’t rest so much with Night’s loyalty as with his. Their background stories appeared to have done the trick, but he couldn’t stifle the feeling that told him Cassandra could still potentially be setting them up.

“You want us to audition?” Jon asked with disdain. “You know, Mother, you were the one who abandoned me

. Not the other way around. Perhaps it is I who should ask for this so-called proof.”

Cassandra walked over to him and—quick as a striking snake—slapped him forcefully. “I’ve told you that you are not to call me ‘Mother’.” Once again, he watched the fury in her face vanish only to be replaced with a complete look of serenity that bordered on insanity.

For the first time since entering this room, he got a sense that Cassandra wasn’t nervous or angry, but crazy. Now that he looked closely, he could see the slightly off-

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Hell, how were they ever going to sort out this mess? What if they gathered up the necessary evidence and Cassandra pleaded insanity once again to escape prison? Shit—

this time he suspected the plea would fit.

Night deflected Cassandra’s attention and Jon breathed a sigh of relief when her attention left him. “So let us train this secretary,” Night said. “Clearly if we’re able to make her marketable, that should be proof of our loyalty and potential value to this venture.”

His mother giggled maniacally at Night’s offer and Jon saw the same dawning recognition on his friend’s face. Night’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied

Cassandra’s bizarre mood swings more closely. He glanced over at him, concern written clearly in his gaze.

“Very well,” she finally replied. “You can punish Carly. Break the bitch’s spirit. Oh this is wonderful! I’ve so missed watching the two of you in action. You will begin tonight. If you succeed in bringing her down, we’ll discuss your roles in the organization.”

Jon attempted to hedge. “Tonight? We’ve just arrived, Cassandra. Perhaps it would be best if we took a few days to study the setup here. Besides, you’ll need to extract the secretary carefully. After all, she’s only just arrived. It may look suspicious if she turns up missing so suddenly. Plus, we’ll need to return home and pack up some things in order to move in here.”

“Home? No, you mustn’t go home. That isn’t what I’d planned at all! Why didn’t you bring your things with you? I can’t let you leave until I know…”

Jon shook his head. It was impossible to keep up with his mother’s rambling commentary. She appeared to be thinking aloud.

“We didn’t plan to stay, Cassandra. You said nothing on the phone about us moving in here,” he replied. Cassandra started pacing and muttering to herself and Jon could see her struggling to fight against his argument. No doubt she’d hoped to keep them captive here until she was completely sure she could trust them.

“We can leave now and be back before dinner,” Night added when Cassandra continued to ignore them.

Cassandra glanced up as if surprised to find them still in the room. “Before dinner?” Cassie smiled evilly. “Actually, I think perhaps only Night should go. After all, it doesn’t take both of you to go pack up a few pieces of clothing.” Apparently Night had passed a test Jon had not.

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“Fine,” Jon answered smoothly. “I’d just as soon not make that trip back down the mountain again today. While Night is gone, you can take me on a tour of this so-called center. Show me some of the improvements you’ve made.” Hopefully, he’d be able to get a good enough overview of the place to figure out where Carly was sleeping and working. Tonight, he and Night would begin searching for evidence that would build a case against his mother and, if he was very lucky, he’d find a way to speak with Carly privately.

“Of course,” Cassandra agreed.

Night—who’d been quietly observing—entered the conversation, no doubt attempting to solidify their progress. “How much money are we talking about making here, Cassandra?”

His mother rubbed her hands together. Greed was the one word she seemed to understand—insane or not. Jon saw a gleam of something that looked very much like respect enter her gaze as she focused on Night. “More than you can ever imagine, Night. We’ll be rich beyond our wildest dreams.”

“I don’t know, Cassandra. My wildest dreams can get pretty expensive.” Night’s joke seemed to break the tension that had been shimmering in the air since they first entered the room. He sensed Cassandra truly believed they would be willing participants in her illegal scheme. Clearly she’d had plenty of time to imagine herself as the Mistress of her own private and profitable enterprise.

“Buyers will line up for my slaves—trained by the best Masters in the world.” She walked back behind her desk and sat down. For the briefest of moments, Jon thought he saw a small tear forming in the corner of her eye, but it was gone in the next instant. “I

regret not being able to be a mother to you these past years. Seeing the strong, handsome, powerful man you’ve become does my heart good. I’ve been quite lonely, you see, but now, at last, we can be a true family again.”

A true family. His mother’s words cut through him like a knife. She didn’t have the first inkling of what it meant to be part of a family. Perhaps, once upon a time, when his father was still alive, they may have had that chance, but that time was long past.

Besides, he thought, considering the concept, he had found his true family with Night and Carly. They were the only family he’d ever need. Reilly was right. He’d been lucky to escape his childhood with his sanity and his sense of decency intact.

“Oh, think of the money we can make. We’ll be rich!” This time her cackling laugh truly betrayed the lunacy that had infected her mind.

“Shall we take our tour, Mother?” As soon as the words left his lips, Jon realized his mistake.

“If you call me ‘Mother’ again, I will have Sammy cut your tongue out and serve it to me on toast for breakfast.”

Nothing like motherly love and family.

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Chapter Eighteen

Carly paced the floor of her sparsely decorated bedroom and glanced at the clock once again. It was nearly one in the morning and the compound had been quiet for hours. She’d looked for Night and Jon all day, but other than glimpsing Jon once across the inner courtyard, she’d had no opportunity to see or speak to them.

Now she was struggling to determine what her next move should be. She’d learned during her first night in residence that the quiet was deceiving. She’d attempted to leave her room to do a little exploring, but was halted before she made it to the end of the hallway by one of the numerous well-armed guards. The look he’d given her had been a menacing leer that made her blood run cold. She’d said she was merely looking for the bathroom and had taken a wrong turn before she’d quickly returned to her room. Since then, she’d been too afraid to venture out again after dark.

Tonight, however, her desire to see Night and Jon was much greater than her fear.

She was desperate to learn how their conversation went with Cassandra. The fact that they were still on the compound seemed hopeful. Obviously, they’d convinced the nasty woman to let them stay. But how? What was the plan now?

She’d seen absolutely nothing illegal since her arrival three days earlier. The women and children staying here were well fed and relatively happy. Unlike her, many of them seemed to take solace in the armed guards roaming the estate and she silently wondered what private hells they’d escaped from to find comfort in such large weapons.

Her main concern was the fact that Trisha and her mother didn’t appear to be anywhere in the compound. When she’d casually mentioned their names, she’d been told by another woman that they’d decided to return home. She’d sensed the woman’s disdain over that decision, yet Carly had secretly hoped that fact were true. Regardless of the situation in the Jackson household, she couldn’t imagine it being any worse than

Reilly’s description of what would happen to them here.

Opening her door a tiny bit, she glanced down the hallway. She was sure Night and

Jon weren’t hiding out in their bedrooms and the thought left her feeling guilty. So far she had nothing to show for her days on the compound. As a spy, she was an utter failure.

Taking a deep breath, she ventured into the corridor. When she wasn’t immediately stopped, she quietly continued. With each step that drew her farther and farther away from her bedroom, she became more certain that she would do whatever it took to find them. She was desperate to see them after such a long absence. Okay, well, technically, three days wasn’t really that long, but to her it had seemed to last an eternity.

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She suspected they would be staying in the east wing, the one directly across from where she and the women were being housed. The north wing at the front of the house seemed to be composed entirely of the business area—offices, sitting rooms and counseling areas. The south wing was Cassandra’s private living area. As far as Carly could tell, that area was the most heavily guarded and none of the women she’d spoken to had ever been there.

In order to get to the east wing, she would either have to sneak outside and cross the inner courtyard or attempt to traverse the hallways of the north wing. The inner courtyard was well lit even at night and there were at least two guards posted on the roof at all times, so she quickly discounted that route.

At least inside, the hallways were dark and she could keep to the shadows. Either way the chances of her making it undetected were slim to none. Still, she felt she needed to take the chance. For one, she hated being so isolated and out of the loop. Secondly, she was terribly worried about Trisha and her mother and anxious to tell Night and Jon they were missing.

And lastly, she simply missed her lovers. She wanted to wrap her arms around them and never let them go again. Seeing them in Cassandra’s office this afternoon had reignited her libido and she wondered when she’d become such a sex maniac. Maybe there was some truth to the fact that women peaked in their thirties. Her body actually felt raw and achy from the withdrawal she’d suffered these few days without Jon and

Night in her bed.

When she made it to the end of the hallway, she slowly peered around the corner.

Shock warred with relief when she realized this corridor was guard-free as well. Where the hell were the gun-toting villains? She usually couldn’t take ten steps without bumping into one, but tonight they seemed to be suspiciously absent. Taking a steadying breath, she continued on her way, heading down the north wing.

Her heart began racing with each step she took. Suspicion permeated her body as she realized there was no way she should have gotten this far from her room without being stopped. Was this a trap? A trick? What if the guards were lying in wait?

Pausing at the next corner, she took a deep breath and tried to calm down. If she didn’t get her wayward thoughts under control soon, she’d succumb to a full-blown panic attack. Not for the first time, she tried to figure out how a divorced secretary—

whose idea of excitement up until a month ago was a new made-for-TV Hallmark movie—got from there to here.

She was about to proceed when a hand covered her lips and she felt herself being dragged into the empty office she’d just passed. She started to struggle as the image of the hulking guard from three nights ago entered her mind. His leering looks left no doubt in her mind what he would do to her if he caught her alone again. Kicking back toward her captor’s shins, she dug her nails into the hand on her mouth.

“Dammit, Beauty, stop now!”

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Night’s hushed admonition froze her in her tracks. Once he had her in the office and the door shut behind them, she turned, pulled his lips to hers and kissed him.

Hard. Intense. She put every bit of worry, fear and loneliness she’d suffered the past three days out there, and he took it all away from her. She had only begun to come down from that kiss when she felt another pair of arms embrace her from behind.

“Did you save any of that for me?” Jon whispered. She choked back a sob of relief and she turned to offer the same welcome to him. The kiss seemed to last hours when

Night cleared his throat behind them.

“Much as I’d like to celebrate this reunion in style, we don’t have the time.”

His words had the same effect as cold water on Jon and he broke off the embrace.

“What in the hell are you doing out of your room?” he demanded.

“I knew the two of you would be out looking for evidence and I wanted to help.”

Jon scowled at her. “Of all the dangerous, stupid things to do! Do you know how lucky you were it was Night that spotted you and not one of the guards?” Jon’s voice was no more than a whisper, yet she felt as though he was screaming at her.

“None of the guards seem to be at their posts. That’s one of the things I wanted to tell you.”

“We know that,” Night reassured her. “We slipped a little something into their drinks at dinner. I figure we managed to drug the drinks of at least ten of those bastards. The ones who aren’t passed out are puking their guts up in the bathrooms.”

“Oh.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God. I was afraid they were setting a trap or something. Of course you realize that still leaves about ten more of the assholes roaming around.”

“Which is all the more reason why you should have stayed in your damn room.”

Jon was clearly still exasperated with her.

“I needed to talk to you. Find out how things went with your mother. See what the plan was.”

Now it seemed to be Night’s turn to chastise her. “The plan is the same as it was three days ago, Carly. We’re trying to earn her trust and buy time while we search for evidence. That’s what we were trying to do tonight, but now we’ll have to find a way to smuggle you back to your room without getting caught.”

She felt guilty about the danger she’d brought to them and their scheme. “I’m sorry!

I really am, but I’ve been so worried about you. All I could think about was making sure you were okay.”

“You saw us earlier in Cassandra’s office.”

“I know but, well, I didn’t exactly get those kisses in Cassandra’s office, did I?” she answered with an impish grin, hoping to dispel their annoyance. “Besides, I needed to tell you something and I couldn’t figure out how to get a message to you.”

“What?” Jon asked.

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“It’s Trisha. She and her mother aren’t here anymore. One of the women said they went back home, but I’m afraid that may not be true. Where do you think they could be?”

Jon was clearly dismayed by her information and she heard Night mutter a curse behind her before voicing his suspicions. “There’s a dungeon on the compound.”

She nodded. “I remember Reilly mentioning that.”

“Chances are good Cassandra’s already taken some of her victims there for training.

She certainly insinuated that earlier when we were in her office,” Night explained.

“That’s actually where we were headed. If Cassie’s locked those women up and begun the training, it’s all the proof we’ll need. We’re familiar with the layout, so we’ve got a plan for smuggling them out. Problem is, we need to wait until you’ve been taken there as well.”

“We’ve convinced my mother to wait a couple days before moving you to the dungeon for your punishment, so you may have to hang in there a bit longer. You simply have to trust us when we say we have things under control. By the way, she was pissed as hell over your threats.” Jon seemed to calm down with his praise. “You were brilliant in there, Blue Eyes.”

“So is it what we feared?” She could tell by the look in Jon’s eyes that it was, but she needed the confirmation.

It was Night who answered. “It’s worse than we feared.”

“Worse how?”

“Yes, Night, tell her how it’s worse.” The door banged open against the wall and the room flooded with light. Carly was horrified as a barrage of guards entered the room and completely surrounded them in less than a minute, each of the bruising brutes armed to the teeth. She knew Jon and Night had come to the compound unarmed and by the resigned looks on their faces, she could see they were regretting that decision.

At the doorway stood Cassandra, dressed head to toe in leather. She slowly took off a headset and tossed it to the floor.

“Bugging the offices, Mother? Don’t trust your employees?” Jon asked and Carly was shocked by the steadiness of his voice.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me ‘Mother’, Jon?”

“You knew,” Jon said quietly to his mother. He’d moved closer to Carly’s right once the lights came on and Night was pressed tightly to her left side. They’d moved to flank her when the danger presented itself and she hadn’t even realized it.

Cassandra laughed cruelly. “Actually no, I didn’t. Although I suspected, Jon.

Always. And now I know it’s true. You betrayed me.” Cassandra turned to look at

Night. “And you betrayed your father. What greater sin can a son commit than to turn against his own parents? I’ve tried for years to determine the truth. Now that I’ve discovered your treachery, I can see I was right to wait. Right to bide my time.”

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“Why is that?” Jon asked and Carly was shocked to hear how calm, how resigned he sounded.

“You’ve given me the truth I sought and the means for my revenge all in a single night. Imagine my delight in discovering I can bring you and Night to your knees with a single blow.”

Cassandra waved her hand toward the guards. They moved in closer, all of them aiming their weapons directly at them. “I suggest,” Cassandra said, “that you come peacefully. How you react now will determine how merciful I am later.”

Carly felt her lovers press closer to her, covering her almost completely with their large forms. They would take every bullet in those damn guns to protect her. The idea filled her heart so completely that her love for them seemed to obliterate all her fears, all her worries in an instant. They would lay down their lives for her.

Her path suddenly appeared before her, clear as a blue sky in spring.

“No,” she whispered, aware that only Night and Jon could hear her. “Move away.”

Neither man responded.

She raised her hands and shoved. Her sudden movement caught them unaware and she managed to push them away enough that she was able to step out from between. They started to move back into position but the guards halted them as she continued forward and away from them until she stood directly before Cassandra.

“Take me instead,” Carly said.

“Excuse me?” Cassandra narrowed her eyes at her.

“Let them go and take me instead. They’ll only be more trouble then they’re worth to you. Take me, train me, sell me. Whatever. Just take me and let them go. Believe me, they’ve suffered enough from you. I won’t let you hurt them anymore.”

“No Carly, you don’t know what you’re saying!” Jon’s voice was strong and sure, but as she looked around the room, she could see the impossibility of escape. She had no doubt both men would fight ’til the death, but she refused to let it come to that.

“If I come with you, if I do everything you say, do you promise not to hurt them?

Will you let them go?”

Cassandra grinned at her request. “You are a feisty, cheeky little thing, aren’t you?

But I fear, my dear girl, Jon is correct. You really don’t understand.”

A ball of ice the size of Antarctica formed in her stomach when Cassandra looked at her.

Really looked at her.

She shook her head, trying to block out the white noise threatening to consume her.

Cassandra intended to hurt her, possibly—hell, probably—kill her in an attempt to destroy Jon and Night.

Cassandra raised her eyebrow at her foolish request. “I don’t have to lift a finger against them to cause them pain.”

“No,” she whispered. She saw the cold-blooded pleasure Cassandra took in her triumph and turned quickly, desperate to reach her lovers. Jon and Night rushed

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Cassandra grabbed her from behind with a strength she wouldn’t have known the older woman possessed and placed a gun against her temple.

“Now, now, now, boys. We can do this the easy way or we can do it the hard way.”

Jon and Night both brought up their fists, clearly opting for the hard way. Carly fought against a scream as she watched the guards grab them despite the fact her two lovers were putting up one hell of a fight.

“Stop!” she yelled. “You’ll kill them!”

Cassandra seemed to agree as soon as it became apparent their valiant defense was pointless in the face of so many opponents.

“End this,” Cassandra hissed. “Quickly.”

Two of the guards raised their weapons and brought the butts of their guns down against Night and Jon’s heads. Both of her beloved men collapsed on the floor at her feet. Carly started to struggle—desperate to reach them—but Cassandra’s grip on her was unbreakable.

“You want to save them, little Carly?” Cassandra whispered the question in her ear.

Carly stopped fighting. “Tell me how?” Her words sounded dull, flat, lifeless, even to her own ears.

Cassandra laughed, low and harsh. “If you survive the next twenty-four hours, I’ll let them live. If you die, they die—painfully. But I should warn you, my darling girl, I

have no doubt you’ll be begging to kill them yourself before I’m finished with you.”

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Chapter Nineteen

Night woke up with a splitting headache.

Unfortunately the throbbing in his head disappeared the moment he roused himself enough to feel the pain in his arms.

Although he hadn’t been in one of the training rooms for years, he immediately recognized the damp smell and chilly air of the dungeon. Looking up, he discovered he was bound to a cold stone wall, his arms pinned together above his head, his legs chained spread-eagle to eye posts drilled into the wall near the floor. To his left, he could see Jon dangling, unconscious and bound in the same manner. The room was dimly lit with torches but it was bright enough that he could make out a naked Carly, struggling against her own bonds on the stone table in the center of the room.

“Carly,” he said softly, clearing his throat when her name came out in a rough growl.

She stopped moving and looked over at him. There were tears in her eyes and he wondered what the hell had happened since the bastard guards knocked him out.

“Night, thank God!” she cried. “I was afraid you’d been seriously hurt. You’ve both been unconscious for a while.”

“Where’s Cassandra?”

“Once she and her guards chained us all up, they left. I don’t think she wants you to m-miss one minute of my t-torture.”

He cursed at her choked explanation. She was clearly terrified and here he was, helpless to save her. Jon was right. Coming back here, involving her in their scheme, had been stupid. His quest for revenge had led them to this place and if anything happened to her, it would be his fault. He’d never forgive himself for endangering her.

Rising up on his tiptoes, he tried to wrap his hands around the thick chain holding his wrists above his head. If he could just get a good grip, perhaps he could pry the shackles loose from the wall. These things had been installed nearly two decades ago.

Surely the mortar had started to crumble. Jon groaned next to him, but didn’t wake.

“I’ll get us out of here, Beauty. Try to relax.” Pulling with all his might—despite the conga drums banging in his brain—he cursed when the chains held tight. His wrists started to ache with the pressure but he refused to stop trying.

After several more fruitless attempts, she called out to him. “Night! You’re going to hurt yourself! Please stop.”

“No, Carly. Christ. This is my fault. I won’t let that bitch hurt you.”

“Night, I volunteered to come here, remember? I knew it was d-dangerous and I

still insisted. You and Jon tried to talk me out of it.”

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“If I hadn’t been so hell-bent on revenge, none of us would be here. I saw what my demands for vengeance were doing to Jon, but I refused to back down. Both of you tried to tell me to put the past behind me, but I was too stubborn, too stupid to listen.”

“That’s not true. You can say you merely wanted revenge, but I know better. I

know you and I know you wouldn’t have been able to rest as long as there were women in danger here. Regardless of what you say, I know your real reason for coming was to save them. Cassandra’s plans would have been the same regardless of whether or not you and Jon showed up. Her intention to kidnap women and force them to serve as sex slaves is very real. You and Jon are the only ones who can save them.”

He laughed humorlessly. “Yeah, well, it looks like we’re doing a bang-up job so far.

Hanging from a wall in chains while you—” He choked on his words, the image of her chained to the table threatening to crumble what was left of his sanity.

Jon groaned again and began to stir. “What the fuck?” he muttered as he looked around. Night saw his complexion go pale when his eyes landed on Carly. “Jesus!”

“I’m okay, Jon,” she whispered and Night shook his head at her words. She was facing a fate worse than death at crazy Cassandra’s hands and she was trying to comfort them.

Jon looked at him. “We gotta get her the fuck outta here, Night.”

Night nodded and began pulling against his bonds once again. He heard Jon’s chains rattle and knew his friend was trying the same thing. After several minutes, he felt the chains give slightly above his head. “I think it’s working,” he said through gritted teeth, fighting against the pain in his shoulders and back.

With renewed effort, he continued tugging with all his might. The chains seemed to give a bit more and then before he could react, the entire hook gave way, sending the heavy mass of metal on top of his already-aching head. He fought against crying out as the blood rushed back into his numb arms with a vengeance.

As soon as his circulation returned, he released the straps at his ankles and moved quickly to release Jon. Once both men were free, they ran to set Carly loose as well. Jon quickly pulled his sweater over his head and put it on her shivering body. It hung to her knees and with her bare feet and legs, Night knew they were all in for a cold journey through the woods.

“We’ve gotta get the hell out of here and get word to Reilly.” Night pushed her toward the heavy door that led to the stone corridor. There was a back exit from the dungeon that would take them straight outside the building. From there, they would have to avoid the guards on the roof and at the main gate, but for the first time, he felt a glimmer of optimism toward their chances of surviving this ordeal.

“Wait, Night!” She pushed back against him. “I heard voices, crying from the other rooms when they dragged me down here. We have to let those women go.”

Jon frowned. “Carly, there isn’t time. My mother could be back any second.”

“No, Jon! I’m not leaving without them. They’re the only ones who can testify to what your mother’s been doing. If we leave without them, she’ll move them or maybe

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Night glanced down the corridor, silently counting the doors. Ten. Five on each side. Behind him—hanging from the same old hook on the wall—was Rex’s ring of keys. He was staggered by the insalubrious memory of having used those keys in his youth. Pushing the past away, Night grabbed them, hurriedly pulling several off and thrusting them into Jon’s outstretched palm.

“You take the ones to the left, Jon. I’ll take the right. Carly, you get your ass to that back staircase. There’s a door at the top that will take us directly outside. We’ll send the women down the hall to you. If you hear anything, you get the hell out of here and run for help. Don’t look back and don’t even think about trying to save us or I’ll beat your ass black and blue. And don’t forget about the guards on the roof. Do you understand?”

She nodded and quickly took off down the hallway. Night ran to the first room and mercifully found it empty. At the second, he found a young woman, naked and bruised.

She couldn’t have been more than twenty years old, yet when her lifeless gaze landed on his, he knew her eyes had seen too much pain in her short life.

“I’m here to free you,” he whispered, but she didn’t respond. Clearly she was expecting a trick. He rushed forward, cursing when the woman flinched away from him. Gently, he took her hand, speaking in tones as soft and soothing as he could muster in his panicked state. “We don’t have much time before the guards and

Cassandra come back. I need to help the other women trapped here as well. Please, we must hurry.” He tugged on her hand and was relieved when she rose and followed him. When they got to the hallway, he lightly pushed her toward the back hall. “There’s a woman down there. She’ll help you escape.”

The woman, now free of her cell and spying the young girl Jon had just released, ran quickly toward promised salvation.

At the next room, Night swallowed back bile as he found another woman lying in a bloody heap on the floor. She was badly hurt and unconscious. Clearly she’d put up one hell of a fight as he could see Cassandra’s trademark stripes lining her back, buttocks and legs. The ones that weren’t bleeding were bruised deeply and for a moment, he felt his blood bubble to the boiling point. Cassandra would not escape justice this time, he silently vowed as he bent over to scoop the woman up. She whimpered at his touch and he paused, wondering how in the hell they would be able to get her to safety. She couldn’t walk and without transportation or warm clothes or blankets, he felt certain they’d never get her off the mountain alive.

Pulling his sweater off, he gently placed it over her injured body. It wasn’t much, but it was the best he had to offer. With as much care as possible, he scooped the woman up. He glanced toward the hall and saw Jon ushering two more women toward

Carly. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought the younger of the two was Trisha Jackson and he hoped to hell the woman with her was her mother. Christ, he still had two more rooms to go.

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Carrying the injured woman, he sighed with relief when he realized Jon had finished emptying his side and was working his way back toward him. He could vaguely make out a few more women rushing away from him toward the back stairs.

They reached the last room together and he held tight to the injured woman as Jon opened the door.

Both of them were dismayed to find Sammy kneeling in the middle of the room.

“Fuck,” Jon muttered. The man was a brutal fighter and Night was well aware they were no match for his strength. So much for their great escape. Even if they managed to outrun Sammy, he would report their flight and the guards would be on them before they made it two steps across the grounds.

Sammy rose slowly when he saw them at the doorway, but made no move to attack them. His gaze seemed locked on the young woman in his arms.

“Is she dead?” he asked and for the first time in his life, Night detected a bit of emotion in the old man’s voice.

“Not yet,” Night replied. “But she’s in bad shape.”

Sammy took a step toward them but he halted when they both retreated a step.

Night was struggling to figure out why Sammy hadn’t sent up the alarm yet. One yell from him and they would all be locked back up in a matter of minutes.

“Her name is Becky. She was nice to me.” Sammy’s voice seemed childlike.

“This woman was nice to you?” Jon asked, pointing toward the bundle in his arms.

Sammy nodded sadly. “I’ll get her away from here. Mistress hurt her. She didn’t need to punish her for talking to me. Mistress should have punished me

. It was my fault. My f-fault.” Sammy’s voice broke on the last word.

Night merely nodded when Sammy approached him and reached for the battered woman. The hulking giant gently pulled the woman into his arms, clasping her to him as one might hold a newborn kitten. Without another word, Sammy turned and walked toward the back door. Before mounting the stairs, the man crouched down and removed a loose stone. Night and Jon stared at each other in silent amazement. Neither of them realized there was a hiding spot beneath the floor. Sammy reached in and

Night was amazed how easily the man could handle the woman’s weight with just one arm. Sammy was exactly as he remembered—a brick wall.

Slowly, Sammy pulled out three handguns as well as extra clips. “You’ll need these,” he grunted as he slid the stone back into place. Night and Jon each took one and

Night started to hand the third gun back to Sammy once he rose and positioned the woman more securely in his grasp, but the giant shook his head. “I don’t know how to shoot a gun.”

Night thought back to all of Sammy’s years as Rex’s right-hand man and he realized he’d never seen the massive guy with a gun in his hand. Of course, Sammy’s fists were the size of basketballs so maybe he’d never needed one.

Sammy continued up the back stairs.

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“He’s all the evidence we need.” Jon gestured toward the man as they quickly rushed to join the rescued victims. “He’s been with Cassandra since she began this latest crime spree. He could turn state’s evidence against her.”

Night nodded, trying to process Jon’s words but unable to think beyond the next few moments. If they could get this group of naked, bruised women off the compound without attracting notice it would be a miracle. Of course, then the real trouble would begin. It was late November and already bitterly cold on the mountain. Fuck—they’d all freeze to death in the predawn air.

Jon must have sensed his concerns. “There is no way we can stay and fight. There are too many women to protect and not enough weapons. Don’t worry. I have a feeling

Reilly will come through.”

“You think he’s watching?” Night hadn’t even considered the idea that Reilly would have eyes and ears outside the compound. In their original plan, they’d decided it would be too dangerous for Reilly to try to position operatives around the perimeter of the retreat center this soon. If Cassandra caught even a whiff of outside interference, they’d feared what she would do to the women.

Jon nodded. “When has the man ever done anything we expected him to?”

Night shrugged and he suspected Jon’s response was based more on hope than conviction. Climbing the remaining stairs, they walked outside together.

Night was relieved to find Carly, Sammy and the women all huddled against the wall behind a bush. They well out of view of the guards on the roof, who would easily spot them in the gray approaching dawn. Carly had her arm wrapped around a young girl that Night vaguely recognized as Trisha Jackson from her school photo. The girl was naked and shivering and he spotted a few bruises on her face and arms, but other than that she seemed to be okay.

Night quickly scanned their surroundings, trying to figure out the best way off the compound. There weren’t many trees between the building and the perimeter fence.

Rex had clear-cut all of them years ago in an attempt to keep security tight. During the past two decades, only scrub brush had flourished and not enough of it to hide their group of two men, one giant and eight naked, shivering women.

A loud shout from the dungeon alerted him to the fact that their escape had been discovered.

“Fuck,” Jon muttered behind him. “Keep against the walls of the building,” he whispered loudly to the women. “Once we get to the west end of the property, Night and I will draw the guards’ fire. Sammy, you and Carly will continue around the building. Head to the north side. There are more trees at the entrance and the fence is lower. Sammy, you’ll have to help the women over. Can you manage that with her?”

Jon gestured to the unconscious woman Sammy carried.

Sammy nodded and quickly led the women around the building. Only Carly remained behind. “I’m staying with you.”

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There were more shouts inside the compound and he glanced up in time to see two more guards join the two already stationed on the roof. If they didn’t move soon, this escape would be over before it began.

“We don’t have time to argue, Carly,” he whispered harshly.

“Then don’t.”

Before Night could chastise her further, she started toward the west side of the building.

He glanced at Jon who merely shrugged. “We’ll beat her ass when we get her home.”

Night nodded, but silently his mind added the words if we get her home

.

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Chapter Twenty

As they turned the corner to the west wall, Jon spotted Sammy well ahead and approaching the small grove of trees near the front of the building. Once all the women disappeared around the corner, he nodded to Night.

It was do-or-die time. Jon started to move away from the wall, but was surprised when Night grabbed him back with a firm fist on his arm.

“Jon, we need a plan, dammit. You can’t just run out there with guns blazing.”

The adrenaline was rushing through his system so aggressively he could barely remember his own name. All of his energy was focused on getting the three of them off this compound. He was struck suddenly by the memory of his last escape nearly fifteen years ago. In all the years since then, he’d never remembered anything from the time

Sarah was killed until he was in Reilly’s Blazer and heading down the mountain.

Now the memory flooded his mind. After Sarah died, Night had found him, out of his mind and rambling around the dungeon. He’d been covered in Sarah’s blood. Jon had wanted to stay and throw himself in front of the first bullet he could find, but Night refused to leave him. His friend literally dragged him kicking and screaming from the compound.

By God, this time, he silently swore, nothing would stop him from rescuing Carly.

He reached into the waistband at his back and pulled out the extra pistol Sammy had given them. He handed it to Carly. He knew she knew how to use it because he’d taken her to the shooting range loads of times in the early days of their friendship. She’d been afraid sleeping in her house alone after the divorce and he’d convinced her to take a handgun safety class before buying a gun for herself. She’d taken to shooting like a duck takes to water and they’d spent one Saturday a month doing target practice ever since.

She smiled at his gesture. “Thanks Jon.”

“Just don’t shoot us,” Night grumbled and Jon savored the sound of her light laughter. How she could laugh at a time like this was beyond him. Hell, he thought, she really was made for them. Here she was facing danger and death and she was still laughing at their silly jokes and saying “thanks” because he gave her a damn weapon.

What a woman.

“We’re going to have to make a break for it. This is the spot where the distance between the building and the fence is the shortest, but there are no trees for cover.

We’re going to have to cover each other. Night, you go first while Carly and I draw their fire from here. Once you make it, I’ll send her across. With you firing from the fence and me from here, she should be doubly protected. Carly, you’re going to have to run like hell.”

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He glanced back toward the north wall of the building. Hopefully the fact that none of the guards was firing in that direction meant Sammy and the women had made it off the compound undetected.

Of course, it could also mean that Sammy had betrayed them and led the women right back through the front door. He shook his head at the thought. Sammy wouldn’t have armed them if he wasn’t serious about helping them escape.

“I always said the only way I’d take up running is if someone was chasing me with a knife.”

Jon grinned at Carly’s familiar joke. “Actually, I seem to recall you saying you stood a better chance at surviving if you played possum.”

She joined him in silent laughter while Night scowled and looked for the guards on the roof. “Where the hell are they? You realize there isn’t a damn thing funny about any of this. Can we get her the hell outta here and then make jokes?”

They started moving away from the wall, none of them taking their eyes off the roof, looking for the guards above.

“Don’t worry, Night,” she whispered her reassurance. “We’ll be fine.”

“Actually, I think we should give the knife idea a try.”

At the sound of Carly’s gasp and Cassandra’s words, Jon turned quickly, pointing his gun in the direction of his mother’s voice. A quick glance to his left proved Night was also aiming in her direction.

The sight of Carly trapped within Cassandra’s grasp once again caused Jon’s heart to stop beating within his chest. His mother had a knife pressed against Carly’s neck and he felt his throat constrict at the image.

Just like Sarah.

“What the fuck?” Night mumbled.

“Oh, didn’t you boys know about this old door here?” Cassandra’s voice was shrill in her anger. “I have to admit it came in quite handy. One of the guards on the roof glimpsed you here and radioed down to me. Quite fortunate, although I must admit, I’m disappointed in you. You left just as the party was about to get started.”

“Yeah well, no offense, but your party sucks.” Carly’s calm, if impatient voice broke through Jon’s escalating panicked state and he saw Carly studying him closely. She knew about Sarah and she obviously could see him struggling not to lose the tenuous control he had on his emotions. He fought like hell to keep his hand from shaking. His mother would love to see him frightened, but he couldn’t seem to stem the flow of images inundating his brain.

Just like Sarah…

Cassandra seemed furious by Carly’s lack of fear. “Well, I’m sorry to bore you, my dear. Don’t worry. This time I intend to finish the job. I’ve clearly underestimated you, Night and my son.”

Night and Jon kept their guns pointed at Cassandra but with Carly positioned perfectly in front of her, they would never be able to fire off a shot.

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A loud bang from the front gate distracted Cassandra for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and turned her attention back to them.

“Where are my slaves?” she hissed.

“Sammy is leading them all to freedom as we speak.” Night smirked as he answered and Jon watched Cassandra pale at his words.

“Sammy would never betray me!” So she didn’t know about that defection. Yet even as Cassandra spoke, Jon noticed the flicker of doubt in her harsh features.

“If you say so.” Night’s disrespectful answer sent his mother into a tirade and Jon had to force himself not to turn around and kick his friend’s ass. If he wasn’t careful, he’d provoke Cassandra into hurting Carly with his smart mouth.

“How dare you speak to me in that manner!”

“I think it’s about time somebody put you in your place.” This time it was Carly’s wayward tongue working against them all.

Christ, neither of them had any idea what that wicked blade could do. He’d witnessed Sarah’s murder in just such a manner and he knew without doubt he’d turn his gun on himself if Cassandra killed Carly that way. He couldn’t survive without her.

“You obnoxious, rude bitch!” Cassandra was seething now, but Carly and Night merely laughed.

It was then Jon saw why they weren’t using more caution. Carly had managed to conceal the fact she had a gun from Cassandra and was slowly moving the weapon into position. Cassandra was too distracted by her own fury to notice Carly’s subtle movements.

Once the gun was pointed back at Cassandra, Carly froze and looked at him. Her gaze seemed troubled, worried—and it was then Jon realized she was asking his permission.

Jesus, she had a knife at her throat and his mother ranting and raving, calling her all sorts of hateful names, and Carly was more concerned about how he would feel about her shooting his mother.

Nodding slightly, he wasn’t prepared for the noise of the weapon as it discharged.

Cassandra shrieked in pain and Carly used the moment of surprise to her advantage. Quick as a mouse, she pushed Cassandra’s arm away, ducking under and running toward him. He saw blood running down his mother’s leg. Because of the awkward position, Carly’s bullet had merely grazed her thigh.

Carly was only halfway to him when he remembered his mother’s knife-throwing ability. He watched in horror as Cassandra raised the sharp weapon, menacing fury distorting her lovely features into something grotesque and horrible.

Jon tried to yell, but the words clogged his throat as he realized he wouldn’t be able to reach Carly in time.

The events surrounding him seemed to move in slow motion and the world went silent as he watched, spellbound and frozen. Night raised his weapon and fired as

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Cassandra drew back her arm. His mother glanced down at her bleeding chest in shock as the knife fell from her limp fingers. Cassandra raised her stunned gaze to Night—

and collapsed to the ground.

Carly turned and opened her mouth to scream. Throughout it all, Jon felt like an observer, outside the events and helpless.

It was only when Reilly crashed through the hidden door through which Cassandra had appeared—followed by several UIA operatives—that Jon seemed to return to his body.

“Thank God you’re all alive!” Reilly rushed over to them as Jon watched Night fall to his knees.

“Night!” Carly rushed to his friend’s side, kneeling quickly beside him. “Are you hurt?”

“Is she dead?” Night’s voice was flat, lifeless. Jon shook off his stupor and crossed the short distance to Cassandra’s body. Bending down, he turned her over and checked for a pulse despite the fact he already knew she was gone. He’d known the moment

Night fired the shot.

Glancing over his shoulder at his friend, Jon nodded. “She’s dead, Night. She’s gone.”

“I killed her.”

Reilly’s expression darkened before Carly protested his words. “She would have killed me, Night, and if given half the chance, she would have killed you and Jon.”

Night didn’t reply, didn’t acknowledge her words for a long time.

Jon stood up and walked over to where his best friend was kneeling. He placed his hand on Night’s shoulder. “Carly is right. No prison would have held her for long. She was a manipulator and she was crazy. If we’d gathered every scrap of evidence and taken her to court, she’d have found some way to get off again.”

“It’s over,” Night said disbelievingly—and Jon realized that for the first time since he was a teenager, Night was free from the past.

“It’s over,” he confirmed. “It’s all over now.” He smiled then and was relieved when Night grinned back.

“Ding-dong, the witch is dead,” Reilly muttered, but Carly’s light laugh at his joke quickly turned into a sob.

Jon knelt as Night reached over for her. She clung to them, the fears, stress and trauma of the past three days pouring out of her in a barrage of tears. Jon tightened his grip on her, amazed yet again by her strength and courage.

“Hey now, Beauty. Please don’t cry.”

“I’m s-sorry.” She took a deep breath and after several moments seemed to finally pull herself together.

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Jon wiped her tears as Night pulled away from her and shook his head. “Holy cow, woman, you’ve been shot at, tied up, stripped naked, nearly frozen to death and held at knifepoint. Now when you’re finally safe, you cry?”

She giggled at his jest, wiping away the last of her tears with the sleeve of Jon’s sweater. “I didn’t have time before.”

Reilly directed the UIA agents as they gathered up the remaining guards. “We caught up with Sammy and the victims just outside the compound.”

“Sammy switched sides, Reilly. We wouldn’t have escaped without him.” Jon didn’t want to see Sammy suffer any more than he already had at Cassandra’s hands.

He began to suspect that Sammy was as much a victim to his mother’s evil as the women at the retreat center were.

“That’s what a couple of the women said. Claimed he was a hero. We’re holding him for questioning but with Cassandra dead, I doubt we’ll press charges against him.

It really is over.”

Night looked at Reilly and started to speak, but his mentor merely held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t say a word, Night. I already know what’s coming. You quit, right?”

Night nodded.

“Damn. I expected it. Just tell me you don’t plan to go back to school to become a teacher too. I think the idea of my two best UIA agents educating future generations will cause the rest of my hair to fall out.”

“Actually,” Night joked, “I was thinking of pursuing a career in advertising.

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Chapter Twenty-One

Carly jerked awake, only to have to squint against the harsh sunlight streaming across the bed. She was trapped under a heavy weight and the stress and fears of the past few days crept up on her. Her cry of distress roused Jon and Night.

She felt confused and disoriented. The last thing she remembered was sitting in

Cassandra’s office at the retreat, answering some of Reilly’s seemingly endless questions, and even that seemed a bit fuzzy around the edges. Her last truly lucid memory was that Trisha and her mother were okay. Mr. Jackson had come to the compound to retrieve them. After his wife left him, he’d quit drinking and had even found a job. Their family reunion had been a happy one with many tears and promises of a better future. Mercifully, neither Trisha nor her mother had been raped, though

Cassandra had subjected them to quite a bit of mental torture and more than a few slaps.

“Where are we?”

“Home.” Jon rose up on one elbow and smiled down at her.

Night chuckled on her other side. “Talk about the sleep of the dead. You were down for the count, Beauty. You never stirred when we carried you off the compound and brought you back here.”

She glanced down and realized they were in their bedroom and she was completely naked. “Did you undress me?”

Jon laughed at the offended tone of her question and she rolled her eyes at the absurdity of it herself. They’d seen her naked more often than clothed these past couple weeks.

“Hell yeah,” Jon replied.

She grinned as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Did you take advantage of me?” she teased.

Night’s erection seemed to rouse at her joke and she felt the weight of it begin to press against her bottom. “I wanted to, but Jon’s got too many damn morals. Said we should let you sleep in peace.”

She laughed, realizing Night was probably telling the truth. She had no doubt he’d made the suggestion. Outrageous, crazy man. God, she loved them both.

At the thought, her heart felt a serious pang of distress. It was their moment of truth. She knew that. She’d put off figuring out their futures together, knowing it was pointless to plan ahead while both men were constantly looking back. Now they were free. Where did that leave her? What if Night decided to leave? What if they realized they didn’t need to share a woman to be happy anymore? What if—now that they were

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Retreat whole, healthy, guilt-free and perfectly capable of living normal, productive lives—they wanted to end this unusual relationship?

Jon must have noticed her sudden misery. “Blue Eyes? What’s wrong? Why the long face all of a sudden?”

Jon’s question clearly caught Night’s attention and he gently pulled her shoulder down until she lay on her back between them, looking up into the eyes of the men she would love until the day she died. Her original concerns about their relationship fled like deer in a forest fire. She really didn’t give a damn what most people thought of her and her family was the absolute best in the world. They were open-minded and loved her. If she said she wanted to spend the rest of her life with these two men, they might balk at first, but then she had no doubt they would embrace them as part of the family.

The problem now was based solely on her feelings and theirs. She could see now that she’d never truly loved Adam. Her feelings for her ex-husband were absolutely lukewarm compared to the boiling inferno of emotion she felt for Night and Jon.

Looking into their eyes, she studied the differences in the brilliant hues reflected back at her. Night’s bright baby blues were confused, while Jon’s dark brown orbs seemed to have turned black with worry.

Tired of being a coward in regards to her relationships, she took a deep breath. “I

love you,” she whispered. “Both of you. Very, very much.”

Night grinned at her words but Jon wasn’t so easily appeased. “That’s it? You love us? I don’t think so, Carly. Try again.”

Night chuckled. “To hell with that, bud. I thought those words were more than enough. Can we take advantage of you now?”

She forced herself to smile at his joke, despite the fact her heart was racing with fear. Neither of them offered her the reassuring words she needed desperately to hear.

Did they still want to be with her? Obviously her attempt at lightheartedness failed, as

Night’s eyes narrowed.

“Beauty? What’s wrong?”

She cleared her throat and tried to figure out how she could put every ragged, raw emotion coursing through her body into words. “Now that you’ve put the past to rest, you must be looking forward to moving on?”

Night relaxed at her comment, though she couldn’t understand why. “Is that what’s worrying you? Of course we’re going to move on.”

Jon laughed then, obviously in agreement with Night. Had they discussed ending things while she’d slept? “You didn’t really expect the three of us to shack up in this tiny little townhouse forever, did you?”

The bottom fell out of her world with his question and she struggled to breathe past the lump clogging her throat. They were leaving. Just like Adam. Quickly, she batted away the tears she felt sliding down her face. Unfortunately she didn’t move fast enough and Jon grabbed her wrists.

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“Are you crying?” he asked.

“Crying?” Night leaned forward, cupping her face gently in his hands. “You are

crying. Christ, Carly, what’s wrong? Is it the moving that has you worried? From the way Jon talked, I didn’t think there was any love lost between you and that old house of yours. You don’t have to sell it if you don’t want to.”

“Sell my house?” She couldn’t make sense of their words.

Jon bent forward until his forehead was pressed against hers. “We thought between the profit we made selling this townhouse and your house, we could buy a nice piece of land and build. I know you’re worried about building being too stressful, but that won’t be a problem, I promise.”

“It won’t be a problem?” She was repeating his words merely in an attempt to make them soak into her exhausted, overloaded brain.

What the hell are they talking about?

“I’m a fair hand at construction, Beauty.” Night picked up Jon’s explanation. “I’ve saved up a hell of a lot of money and while I’m trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, I thought I’d build us a house.”

His eyes twinkled at her and she finally understood they weren’t moving away from her. They were building a house and a future with her.

“So you aren’t leaving?”

Night shook his head and she watched as realization dawned on his face. “You thought when we said we were moving on, you weren’t coming with us?”

Jon growled. “Are you nuts? Where the hell have you been these last few weeks, woman? How could you think we’d leave you?”

She silently chastised herself for her insecurities. “I thought now that you’d put the unpleasantness of the past behind you, you’d want to move on. Move away from—”

“Each other,” Night finished for her.

Jon looked up at his friend and she could see the confusion in his face.

“Jon, she thinks now that Cassandra is dead and we’re attempting to put the past away, we’ll move on to those normal lives you’ve been preaching about us getting for so long.”

Jon glanced down at her, his eyes black with worry. “Is that what you want, Carly?

A normal life? One husband?”

“God no!” she breathed out quickly. “I want you. Both of you. More than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. But now that you’ve settled the things that have been hurting you, I was afraid you’d change your mind.”

Night grinned. “Beauty, you promised to give me time, remember?”

“I remember,” she answered.

“Well, you’re not reneging on that. I won’t let you. Even though, I can tell you right now I’m never going to change my mind about you.”

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Carly smiled and felt her lip quiver slightly. “My mind is made up as well,” she confessed.

“Do you remember me telling you how I felt like I’d lost my soul and Jon gave me half of his?” Night asked.

She nodded and saw the surprised look on Jon’s face as he looked over at his friend.

“Well, I can see now he’d only loaned it to me. He was letting me borrow it until I got my own back. You, Beauty…you found my soul and you gave it back to me. I’ve never felt this free, this happy, this in love. Hell, I’ve never felt this horny! You are everything to me. You and Jon are my family and wherever you are is my home. That will never change.”

She laughed at his lovely words. “Oh Night, you never lost your soul. It was always there. You just couldn’t see it. No man could give so selflessly to his country without a heart and soul as big as New York City and I love you so much!”

Night bent down and kissed her gently, only pulling back when his fingers brushed against the fresh tears on her cheeks. “Crying again?”

“Good crying,” she answered with a smile.

“So have we gotten all the lovey-dovey crap out of the way?” Jon’s face appeared exasperated, but his eyes were sparkling.

She wiped the happy tears away with a grin. “I suppose so.”

“Good. Because I’ve waited four days to get back inside that gorgeous body of yours and, morals or not, I’m not waiting a second more.”

“Amen to that,” Night muttered and she giggled until Jon pulled the sheet down, his playful look quickly turning to one of unbridled lust.

His fingers lightly touched a small bruise on the top of her right breast. His gaze asked the question, but she was hesitant to answer. When he raised his eyebrows, she knew he would outwait her.

“After the guards chained you to the wall in the dungeon, Cassandra ordered them to strip off my clothes. One of the men pinched me.”

Jon’s eyes narrowed in anger and Night growled. “What else did they do?” Night demanded.

“Nothing,” she quickly reassured them. “I swear that was it. Cassandra was furious when she realized the man had touched me and she slapped him. I think she was determined to keep all the painful torturing for herself.”

Night shook his head. “My fault,” he muttered, but she quickly dismissed his self-

recriminations.

“I never want to talk about Cassandra Walker again. We’re here together now and I

refuse to let that bitch steal one more second from us.”

Jon bent down and placed a light kiss on the bruise. “No more talking then. Just us, together, loving each other.”

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Jon moved closer to her breast and she gasped as he sucked her entire turgid nipple into his mouth roughly. “Mine,” he breathed against the sensitive tip and she fought against a moan as Night bent down to offer the same treatment to her other breast.

Together they worked her flesh with their tongues, teeth and lips until she thought she would scream in ecstasy.

She’d only reached the peak when Jon moved his lips up to whisper in her ear, “Come for us, Carly.” As he spoke, Night reached down and delicately tapped on her clit. She exploded into a million bright, shining pieces. When she came back to herself, she became cognizant of Jon lying on his back, pulling her limp body over his, caressing her hair and whispering lovely words in her ear.

“We love you, Carly. You’re ours. Now and forever.”

Gently grasping her around the waist, he positioned her until she was straddling him. The feeling of his hard cock against her stomach rejuvenated her sated body and suddenly she felt ravenous for more. Rising up on her knees, she guided him into her body, reveling in his gratified moan.

“So tight and hot. So perfect,” Jon muttered and she slowly rode him, up and down until Night’s hands at her hips halted her movement.

“Wait for me, Beauty,” he murmured against the nape of her neck and she shuddered with desire.

As Night pushed her forward, she rejoiced at the first touch of his cock against her ass. Somewhere along the line, he’d retrieved a tube of lubrication from the bedside dresser and covered his cock with it. Slowly, he slid into the tight chamber, taking care not to hurt her. She marveled at the wondrous feeling of being claimed this way. Never in her wildest dreams could she imagine being so completely fulfilled. The pleasure and pain of the position worked its way through her overwrought system like a glass of white wine, soothing the restless desires and satiating the frantic cravings.

As they began their mating dance, she felt swept away yet safe and warm locked within their embrace. As Night retreated and Jon advanced, they slowly erased the tiny, lonely spot inside her that spent years thinking she wasn’t good enough, pretty enough, interesting enough. Soon the insecure stain was gone and in its place was the knowledge that this was where she was meant to be. These men were hers.

“I love you!” she screamed as the power of her emotions combined with their motions and they pulled her once again into the sparkling abyss.

Jon followed her down first. “Everything, Carly,” he yelled as she felt the warm flood of his seed fill her.

Night soon joined them, words seemingly escaping him as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and his climax burst into her tight ass.

It was several moments before she realized they’d assumed their usual after-

amazing-sex positions. She was tightly spooned against Night’s chest as Jon faced her, gently caressing her face.

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“Stay with us, Carly,” Jon whispered and she was surprised by the seriousness of his words.

“Of course I’m staying.”

“Always,” Night said, pulling her tighter to him.

“Always,” she promised. “I love you. Both of you.” As she spoke the words, she realized this was the first real thing in her life. She’d found true love, not with one wonderful man but two, and their commitment to each other was strong enough to last them a lifetime.

She giggled giddily at the thought.

“What’s so funny?” Jon asked.

“I think this is the part in my romance books where the words, ‘And they all lived happily ever after’ show up.”

“Hmmm,” Night sighed thoughtfully. “I think in our case, I’d rather see this part end with ‘And they all got up and had hot monkey sex in the shower’ instead.”

She laughed. “Okay, well, that ending works too. Race you to the bathroom!”

The End

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About the Author

Some people fall apart on their 30th birthday, others on their 40th. For Mari Carr, 34

was the year that took her down. After she spent the day crying and saying, “I haven’t done anything I thought I would,” her husband finally asked what was left undone.

Her answer was simple—she hadn’t written a book or decorated her house. “So do it,”

he said.

Five years later, the house is sparking with fresh paint and new furniture and her computer is jammed full of stories—novels, novellas, short stories, and dead-ends. The lesson: it’s never too late to achieve a goal or two!

High school librarian and English teacher by day and mother of two busy teenagers, Mari Carr fiinds her time for writing by squeezing it into the hours between 3

a.m. and daybreak when her family is asleep and the house is quiet.

With the publication of her first book, her latest goal—publishing before 40—has been achieved with a couple of years to spare. Phew!

The author welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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