Bloody wanker! His hands were tied unless Raine safeworded out or said yes to his proposition. Given the lift of her chin, he didn’t think for a moment that she’d tell Hammer she’d learned her “lesson.” She’d rather saw her own head off. Nor did she seem ready to commit to his training collar. Liam cursed under his breath. All he could do was scrutinize the restraints to ensure they weren’t too tight.
Beck grabbed his damn whip and cracked it sharply in the air. Raine gasped, stiffened. Her big blue eyes went wide with fear. The goddamn sadist grinned, and Liam had to force himself to stand down when he would have gleefully knocked Beck on his ass. But Raine needed him now more than he needed to unleash his anger.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered in her ear. “I won’t let him hurt you.”
She sent him a shaky nod and a grateful expression. To everyone else, she’d shown defiant anger. But on some level, she trusted him—and him alone—with her vulnerability. She was trying. It was enough for the moment.
“Get on with it,” Hammer snapped at Beck, drilling a cold, hard stare Liam’s way. “I‘ve told you what to do. Now fucking do it!”
“On it.” Beck dropped the whip, and it slithered to the ground. Liam didn’t have time for relief before Beck raised his beefy hand in the air, then dropped a menacing whisper in Raine’s ear. “Count, princess. I want to hear you loud and clear.”
The words had barely passed his lips before he brought his hand down. Obviously, Beck had decided to skip the warm-up. Instead, he began with a brutal blow across her left cheek.
Raine’s head snapped up as she jolted and hissed. Then she glared at Hammer in the mirror. Her stubborn pride kept her from admitting aloud that Beck’s spanking hurt like hell, but her pinched mouth and tense glower said it anyway.
“I told you to count,” Beck growled.
Turning to look at the sadist, she glared. “Are you too busy being Hammer’s bitch to remember what comes after one?”
“You’ll pay for that, brat,” Beck thundered at her as he threw his hand back in the air, aiming brutally for her ass again, landing an even harder blow on her right cheek.
Liam watched her bite her lip to hold in a cry. She dug her teeth in so hard, he wasn’t surprised when it started to bleed.
Storming over to Beck, Liam grabbed his wrist. “You should never touch a sub in anger.”
The other man yanked away, rolling his broad shoulders. “You think I don’t know that?”
“Then act like you do.” Liam went to Raine and leaned down to brush his lips over her ear. “Enough. You’ve made your displeasure known. Don’t bait the bear anymore. Take your punishment, then it will all be over. I know you’re mad at Hammer, but try to remember that he’s the man who kept you safe all these years. If you—”
“This is my punishment of a sub under my protection. Back the fuck off,” Hammer snarled at him, leaping from his chair and striding across the room. When he reached Raine, he gripped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. “Girl, you either accept this punishment without another mocking outburst, or I swear I’ll throw Liam out and unleash Beck to do whatever he wants on your ass. Playtime is over, and I’m out of patience. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Sir.” Her tone was more insolent than obedient.
Things had gotten out of hand far too quickly. Liam could either sit back while Beck beat the shit out of her or he could try coming up with a plan B. Hammer wasn’t going to stop this. It didn’t take a bloody rocket scientist to see that Raine was never going to yield her submission through pain. Boundaries would help her feel safe, yes. But she needed affection to blossom.
More than anyone, Hammer should understand that. If his friend didn’t want to hear the truth, then he could go fuck himself.
Reaching Hammer was a long shot, but Liam had to try again.
“We both know she’ll learn nothing from this punishment except to hate you,” he whispered in Hammer’s ear. “You’ve spent years protecting her, and now you’re going to scare the bloody shit out of her? Surely you can see she needs a different direction. I know you want me to shut up, but the sub’s needs come first. Think about hers.”
Hammer’s eyes turned molten. His face flushed with anger. “If you question me again during this punishment, I’ll ban you from the club.” He gestured to Beck. “Continue.”
Liam swallowed his incredulity as Hammer returned to his throne. Rage followed. He’d expected that Hammer wouldn’t appreciate his interference, but they were friends. The man who had all but given him the shirt off his back once or twice had threatened to throw him out. Liam wondered if he knew the man at all anymore.