I walk towards the door and pull it open. Miles is standing there in his suit and tie. He’s wearing black rimmed glasses that frame his bright blue eyes, and for the love of all hot men, he actually pulls them off, though I have to note that his style is a little strange. “Yes? What can I do for you?”
He nudges his head toward the hallway. “Well, I take it you’re hungry. I’ll show you around.”
“Show me around?” I question, closing the door behind myself and falling into step behind him. Walking past another door, I see it’s cracked open a little so I pause and take a step back. Miles is still chatting away when I peer into the bedroom. It looks similar to mine only this one has white walls and yellow curtains. A blonde girl is sitting on the bed watching what I assume to be the television.
“What’re you doing?” Miles whispers harshly into my ear, making me jump in my spot.
Whacking his arm with the back of my hand, I scold him. “You scared me.”
I look up to him and his eyes widen. “Good. The smart ones are scared of me.”
“I’m not very smart,” I trail off, taking my eyes back to the girl.
His hand wraps around my chin as he snaps my face back towards him. “Food. You look like shit and you’re way too skinny.”
I follow behind him, my arms folded in front of myself. “So what? Does he have a collection of woman? And how do you know this isn’t my normal weight? I might just be this skinny.”
Miles laughs as we reach the top of the stairs. “Collection of women? You could say that.” He shrugs before continuing. “Your tits, puddin’. They give you away.”
He continues walking and I look down at my breasts. “What about them?”
He tsks at me, throwing his finger up in the air. “They’re too fucking juicy, that’s what. Come.”
I follow behind, my hand on the rail to stop me from falling. “And why?”
“Why… what?” Miles asks. Did he not know why I was asking why Raze needed an army of women?
“Why does he have all these woman? Did he buy them too?”
Miles laughs. We reach the bottom of the stairs as he leads me into the kitchen. “No. He didn’t buy them, Millie.”
“Why do you find that funny? He just bought me. What else am I to assume is going on here?”
“You don’t,” he answers, pulling open the fridge and placing deli meats, cheese, mayo, and bread on the breakfast bar. I pull out a stool, taking a seat.
“What do you mean, ‘you don’t’? And are you making me a sandwich?” I can’t hide the small laugh that’s about to slip. He pauses, closing the fridge door.
“Make your own shit and stop asking questions. I can’t answer anything for you, you’ll have to ask Raze.”
“I don’t like Raze very much.”
“Hmmm?” Miles smiles. “He seems to like you.”
“Who did you say you were again?” I ask, tilting my head.
He shrugs, pulling out a couple of slices and placing them on the table. “I didn’t.” He rolls the sleeves of his shirt up and pulls open a drawer, taking out a butter knife. He starts spreading mayo on the bread and building a sandwich. He pushes my plate to me and I smile. “Thanks.”
Picking up the sandwich, I take a bite before placing it back down. “Why am I here?”
“You’ll know in good time.”
I continue eating until every bit is gone and my stomach tightens from being so full. I actually feel quite nauseated; I probably shouldn’t have eaten so much all at once, considering I had nothing but water the whole time I was in the dungeon. My curiosity is scratching at the back of my head, wanting to ask more questions about Miles. I can’t put my finger on him; it’s as though he has this very different personality that shines through him. I don’t know what to make of that.
He nudges his head, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Come on. I’ll take you back.”
I pick up the empty plate and place it into the sink. When I turn back around, I see the same dark-haired girl walk in wearing a glamorous black dress with sequins embedded into the skimpy material. Her hair is up in a high elegant bun and her makeup is done to perfection. I hate her.
She looks at me up and down, her lip curling. “Ew.” She steps away from Miles who’s watching her with careful eyes. “Look what the cat dragged in.” She moves towards the fridge and pulls out a bottle of champagne.
I look at Miles who’s watching me closely. “Come on, Millie.”
“Millie?” The girl laughs.
“Shut the fuck up, Cassia,” Miles snaps at her.
She pauses for a second before placing the bottle back into the fridge. Picking up her fresh glass of champagne, she turns to look at me. “You won’t last long here, honey. Raze likes them hot. He doesn’t do lost little puppies.”
“I’m not lost.” I clamp my mouth closed after replying. I didn’t want to start anything with this girl, especially if I have to live under the same roof, but seriously? She’s rubbing me the wrong way and my frame of mind right now is already fragile.
Miles begins to slowly make his way towards me. Cassia pauses, her glass an inch away from her mouth. “Oh, but of course you are.” She empties her champagne down her throat before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “But that’s okay. He’ll get bored with you, like he gets bored of every girl who’s not me, or Ella.”
She taps the counter just as another person walks into the kitchen. When I look up, my eyes lock onto Raze’s. I raise my eyebrows and give him a knowing smirk. “Okkkaaay,” I say slowly, acting as though I’m not fazed or threatened because that’s the only thing that annoys girls like Cassia. If they think you don’t care about their bullying, they get more annoyed than if you bite back. I had Melissa as my sister, and as much as I love my sister, she was a lot like Cassia. I look at Miles, who is still staring down at me. “I’ll go to bed.” I go to walk around Raze, but he doesn’t budge. “Move, please,” I say softly, my eyes remaining on the ground because truthfully, the man terrifies the bejesus outta me. He terrified me in the dungeon, and more so out here. I don’t know why, but I get the feeling that whoever he is in this world— his world—it’s something I should definitely tread lightly on.
He doesn’t move.
“Raze!” I look up at him, his eyes searching mine. “Can you please move?”
He’s wearing a new suit now, same colors, but this one is fresh and clean. His scent is more prominent at the moment with a hint of soap. His ash blond hair is slicked back on the top like he usually styles it, with a little gloss shining through. They obviously have big plans tonight and they look great together.
He snatches my hand and begins tugging me up the stairs. I look over my shoulder to see Miles watching me closely with a small smile on his mouth. Once we’re down the hallway, I try to pull my hand out of his with no success. “Can you let me go please?” He doesn’t reply. It’s not until he pushes me into my room and steps in behind me, kicking the door closed with his foot, that he finally speaks.
“One?” he says, walking towards my retreating body until the backs of my legs hit the bed. “You don’t need Miles to take you to your fucking room.”
I swallow. “Wait, I thought—”
He cuts me off. “Two? Stop asking questions, and just know that if I want you to know something, I’ll tell you.”
“Wait, can I talk?” He looks down at me, so obviously annoyed. “Because I have a few questions.” He stares at me blankly, like I’m the most frustrating female on the planet and he’s never had a woman, or probably anyone, question his words. Raze isn’t an alpha; he’s the alpha. He probably wipes his butt with sandpaper. There you go, that was funny. A small voice laughs in the back of my head.
He takes a seat on the bed and loosens his tie. “Shoot.”
“Why am I here?” I start off light, easy.
“Because I need your help.”
“Yes, but with what?”
He looks at me. “With something that
involves you and that’s all I’m giving you for now.”
I drop it. For now. “Why do you have a collection of women?”
He laughs. “Jealous?” he asks with a quirked eyebrow.
“Excuse me? No.”
He wraps his hand around my wrist, pulling my body up and placing me on top of him so that I’m straddling his waist. Well, that escalated quickly.
“Don’t play dumb, Millie. You and I both know that’s not true.”
My eyebrows pinch together. “I’m not jealous, Raze. Because in order for me to be jealous, I must care, and in order to care, I must feel, which I’ve found out lately—I don’t. My feelings were robbed.” I raise my eyes to his, a small hiss coming out of my words at the end. Bringing my hand to his cheek and rubbing my thumb across his jaw softly, I bend down to his ear and whisper, “You robbed me of that.” I bring my face back and search his eyes. “So no, Raze, I’m not jealous, I’m not anything. I’m just me.”
He watches my face closely, his hands dropping from my back to my hips. “And who are you, Millie?”
I tilt my head. “Not the girl you kidnapped. Not anymore. So if the whole innocent thing turned you on, sorry to disappoint.”
“Get out.” He points to the door and my eyes snap up to find him smiling softly. He has a pretty incredible smile.
“I wouldn’t joke about that, considering I’m pretty much a prisoner, so I would run.”
“Yeah?” He smirks, his hand gripping the back of my neck to pull my face down to his, and his lips brush over my ear. “Well, I run faster.” He nips my ear lobe between his teeth. His grip loosens and he glides his thumb over the back of my neck softly. “In all seriousness, yes, you are a prisoner. I’m not letting you go, and if I ever decide to, you will know…” He’s watching my response, but it’s calm. “But I do need you alive, for now. For a few reasons, one of which I will tell you in due time.” He runs his hands over my upper thigh and I attempt to clench them together which, judging by the small dance in his stare, has excited him somewhat. “I’ll make you a deal.” He watches me closely. To say that it’s strange that there’s no awkwardness with our exchange is a little off-putting. But, although Raze was who he was in the dungeon, my body feels comfortable enough around him now to relax in his embrace. Crazy bitch.
“Hmmm.” I look up at the ceiling. “Why do I get the feeling I’m about to make a deal with the devil?”
He chuckles lightly, but I can see he’s attempting to keep his full laughter contained. “Because you are.”
I swing my leg off him, but his grip tightens, so I take that as a clue that I should remain in the same spot. The fact that I’m sitting on his hard stomach is making this a little more comfortable because if I was sitting on his dick, I’m sure this conversation would be one-hundred percent more awkward.
“You help me with what I’m going to do, and I promise you will see your sister again,” he says easily.
At the mention of my sister, I flinch. “What if I don’t want to see her again?”
He tilts his head and I run my eyes over his chiseled jawline where tattoos run underneath and then around to the back of his neck, going up to his scalp. “Really?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure.”
“Well, let’s say that I’ll let you live, with the possibility of seeing your sister again, if you help me.”
“Will you let me go after it’s all done?” I whisper, bringing my eyes to his.
“Maybe.”
“How can I turn that maybe into a yes?”
He smirks, and before he says it, I know what he’s going to say. “For me to set you free?” His hands run towards my upper thigh, his fingertips skating over the softest part of my leg. “I want this.” His thumb grazes over my clit and my jaw slams shut. It’s going to happen one way or another, and I’d much rather get it over with earlier than later. Besides, Raze already knows my body probably better than I know my own body.
“Fine,” I say through clenched teeth. “I help you with whatever you’re planning, give you my virginity, and then you let me go.” I keep my eyes locked over his shoulder before a smile touches my lips.
“What’s that smile for?” he asks, bringing his hands back down my thighs.
I tap his nose with my finger. “That’s none of your business.” I swing my leg off and he releases it this time. “Who is Cassia and should I start carrying a knife around the house with me?”
He laughs, standing to his feet and doing up his tie. “Cassia and Ella will be no issue to you.” His reply is blasé.
“Are you like Hugh Hefner? Just the…” I flick my fingers up and down his massive body. “…bad version?”
“No, Millie, not like Hugh Hefner. They look like cute little bunnies to you?”
I shrug as he takes a step toward the door. “If bunnies looked like hookers, then yes. Which, by the way, the Playboy bunnies sort of were.”
His hand grips the door handle. “They won’t be an issue for you. Cassia will retract her claws.”
He’s about to leave when I hold my hand up. “Wait!” Why am I about to ask this? “If you can have them, why do you want me?”
He smiles from over his shoulder. “Who said I wanted you?”
Ouch! And then he’s gone. I exhale a long breath that I didn’t know I was holding. Why is he so cold?
The gusts of wind whipped through Raze’s hair as he ran in circles around the large tree stump which sat outside The Army base. Raze was turning four today and Courtney told him they were going somewhere special for his birthday. Raze didn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to run around usually, but he guessed that that was what normal kids did because he had never been around kids his age. Kurr’s jeep pulled into the high monitor gates of the base and Raze leapt up from his spot to run towards his dad. Raze looked up at his dad like any boy did. Kurr didn’t live where Raze and Courtney lived at the volcanic base. He lived at The Army’s other base. Raze walked towards Kurr and looked up at him through bright eyes. Kurr looked down at him.
“Daddy?” Raze said.
Kurr dropped down to eye level with Raze. “Son, where’s your mom?”
Raze shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Why do I never see you?”
Anger flared over Kurr’s eyes for a brief second. “Why don’t I show you why Daddy’s busy?” Kurr scooped Raze into his arm and nudged to the men he brought with him. Kurr bounced Raze in his arm as he walked back towards the jeep. “Wanna be a big boy, Raze?”
Raze nodded his head with a wide smile on his mouth. “Yes, yes! I want to be a big boy!”
“Good,” Kurr grunted, placing Raze into the backseat of the jeep. “Because you’re going to need to be a big boy today.”
The drive to where Kurr was taking Raze wasn’t long. It was just over twenty minutes later when they were pulling into an industrial alleyway.
Kurr pulled up the emergency brake and turned in his seat to look at Raze. “Come on, son.”
Raze jumped out of his seat and pushed open his door. He quickly fell behind Kurr’s large steps. There were two men in front of Kurr and two men following behind Raze. Raze wasn’t sure what was going on but he was excited. Maybe now he could see what his daddy did for work so he could be just like him when he grew up. Deep down, Raze loved his dad and his mom, but he hated how unhappy his dad made his mom. Sometimes when Kurr would come to the base, he would leave with his mom crying. One day, Raze walked in on his mom because he wanted to see if she was okay. He pushed open the door and saw his mom’s naked body bent over a table in the laboratory. Her pants were around her ankles and Kurr’s hand was gripped firmly around her mouth. Raze froze at the doorway and Kurr looked right at him. Raze raised his eyes to meet his mom’s, and that’s when he saw her red eyes laced with tears that spilled over Kurr’s hand, which was wrapped around her mouth. What little makeup his mom wore was now smudged from the pain of her cries. She panicked. She didn’t want Raze to see this, to see that Kurr only came e
very week so he could rape her, not to actually visit their son. She swore that one day she would be the one to end him. It just had to be her. Raze quickly ran out and never looked back. After that, every time Kurr arrived at the base, Raze knew what he was there for. When Raze heard the muffled cries of his mother, or the banging of the desk in the lab, he would drop his head and walk away.
“Come on, son, this is a quick in-and-out job.”
A job! Raze’s eye widened as he followed behind Kurr, walking through the large open doors of an overly large shed.
Raze paused when Kurr stopped in the entryway. “What do I need to do, Dad?”
Kurr lifted Raze off the ground and placed him on his shoulders. “You see that man there?” Kurr pointed towards a man who was hanging from the roof with rope bound around his wrist, naked from the head down and his head hunched between his arms.
“Yeah?” Raze answered, a little scared, but he was a big boy today, Kurr had told him so.
“He’s a bad man, Raze. He needs to be dealt with so you can have a future. You think you can handle that? Or should I get another big boy to do it?”
Raze nodded his head furiously. “I can do it!”
Kurr chuckled and the motion jiggled underneath Raze’s butt. “Good, son.” Then, Kurr handed Raze a heavy black knife.
Raze took it and looked down at it in amazement. “Wow, this is a cool knife!”
“Ahhh, boss? Courtney is calling— “
“—Ignore it!” Kurr interjected. “This is important. It’s what is going to put in motion my plan, so shut the fuck up and let this happen or I’ll slit your fucking throat right where you stand.” The soldier nodded his head, stepping back to where he was standing. “Now, son,” Kurr continued, stepping towards the hanging man. Once they were directly in front of him, Kurr wrapped his hands around Raze’s ankles to steady him on his shoulders. “You see this?” Kurr pointed to the side of the man’s neck.
Raze nodded, swallowing past the fear that was rising up his throat. “Yeah, I see it.”
“Good. That is where I want you to start your cut, and here,” Kurr ran his index finger across the man’s throat, right to the other side of his neck. “Is where I want you to end the cut.”