The SUV made a hard left turn, throwing her weight to the right, and then the sound of crunching gravel filled her ears. She’d lost track of how long they’d been riding, but she knew it hadn’t been long enough to reach the city yet. Shit. Where the hell was he taking her?
A few bumpy minutes later, the vehicle pulled to a halt, and Davis shut off the engine. “Things will go much easier for you if you cooperate, so I don’t suggest you try anything heroic. And don’t bother screaming when we get out. There’s no one around to hear you.”
“What do you want from us?” Brynn bit out.
“From Kelsey? A little information. From you?” He paused and she could almost hear the smile in his voice. “We’ll just have to see what mood strikes me.”
Doors opened and the car dipped twice. Then, the air shifted. Hot breath hit her cheek. “Mmm, you still smell the same. Like fear. You know all that adrenaline rushing through you right now can actually enhance a sexual experience. Add in a little pain and it will send you right over the edge.”
She reeled backward in her seat, bile rising to the back of her throat. “Get away from me, you fucking psycho.”
He laughed. “Now, no need to be crude. Although, I expect no less from you. I know from experience you’re no lady.”
His steel grip wrapped around her upper arm, and he jerked her to her feet. “And I expect from this point on, you call me master.”
Over my dead body. But she swallowed back the words before they slipped out. At this rate, that might be exactly what he had in mind.
He hauled her out of the car, and she fell forward, her knees and elbows landing hard on the pebbles. She clenched her teeth through the sting, refusing to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry out in pain.
He grabbed the chain between her cuffs and yanked. “Get up and walk.”
He led her from the humid night air into an air-conditioned space. Thick carpet silenced their footfalls as he shut a door behind him.
He guided her another few steps, then untied her blindfold. Brynn blinked as her eyes adjusted and was surprised to find herself in a brightly lit kitchen. A darkened flight of stairs stretched down through a door in front of her. Davis grasped the back of her neck. “Down the steps. Try to stay on your feet this time.”
She shot him a hateful glare and moved forward when he nudged her. Slowly, she descended the stairs, her heart sinking as the fluorescent light disappeared behind her and the contents of the basement came into view. No workout room or rec area for Davis Ackerman. Nope. Instead, a full-scale BDSM playground—his very own personal dungeon—spread out before her. A St. Andrew’s cross, benches, a wall full of hooks with various tools she couldn’t identify.
But the shock of that paled in comparison to the surprise that greeted her as she hit the bottom step.
They weren’t alone.
Roslyn Jamison gave her a disdainful look as she casually held a gun at her side. “Oh, hurray, the gang’s all here.”
Brynn stared at her, trying to connect the dots between the man behind her and the woman in front of her. But none of it lined up. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
She pursed her lips. “You couldn’t leave things alone, could you? I should’ve known. You’ve been a complication since the day you were born.”
“What?”
“Never mind.” She waved the gun dismissively.
But Brynn couldn’t draw her eyes away from her—her presence too unbelievable to process. The petite woman looked like she was dressed for a political convention instead of a kidnapping. A navy blue, perfectly tailored pantsuit with matching low heels. 1950s-style white gloves. Even a bun with nary a hair out of place. The contrast with the BDSM equipment in the background was almost laughable.
But Brynn’s attention was diverted when a light sniffling sound came from her right. She whirled around to find Kelsey, tied to a chair, face swollen from crying and ball gag in her mouth. Brynn lurched in that direction. “Kels!”Author: Roni Loren
Davis grasped her arm. “Not so fast, sweetheart. We need to take care of business before we get to have happy reunion time.”
Kelsey’s gaze met hers, her terror palpable. Roslyn stalked over to the chair and unsnapped the gag, but when her sister tried to talk only wretched sobs escaped.
“Kels, shh, I’m here. It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out. Shh…” Brynn knew the words were empty, but they tumbled out anyway.
Her sister shook her head frantically, her eyes wild. “No, it’s not okay. She’s the one.”
Brynn frowned. “Kels, I don’t understand.”
Roslyn’s tone turned sharp. “Stop the blabbering.”
Her sister inhaled a ragged breath and met Brynn’s gaze. “She killed Mom.”