“Louder,” Liam demanded. “Let everyone hear you.”
“Yes!”
Raine wailed out the word, but it was finally enough.
Suddenly, Hammer whipped his stare to her. His narrow-eyed glare fell back on Liam. “What did she say ‘yes’ to?”
Right now, Liam didn’t owe Hammer a goddamn word, not where Raine was concerned. Nor did he have time. Only Raine herself mattered. He shook off Hammer’s questions and knelt to her wrists, prying them out of the cuffs one at a time before he jumped to the restraints around her ankles. A glance at the backs of her thighs proved an angry bruise was already forming where Beck had struck her.
Worry and fury hit him in equal measure, but he buried both for Raine, wrenched her ankle cuffs off, and pulled her into his arms. He cradled her, limp and sobbing, against his chest.
“What the fuck are you doing? Give her to me.” Hammer strode toward him, arms outstretched to take Raine away. “I decide when the scene ends.”
“Not anymore,” he growled. “Raine just accepted my training collar. She is now my submissive. So it’s my scene, and I’ve decided this bloody farce is over.” He pointed at Beck. “Get the fuck out of here. Now!”
Disbelief fell across Hammer’s face. It quickly turned to cold rage, shadowing the sockets under his eyes, emphasizing his icy stare. A fury Liam had never seen in all the years they’d been friends blared there. “You planned this, you son of a bitch!”
“I did what I needed to keep you from hurting her more.”
Hammer ripped his biting gaze away and settled on Raine. Stark pain consumed his expression. “Precious…”
The devastation in Hammer’s voice as he called out to Raine would haunt him, but he refused to worry about that now. He shoved aside what might have been if Hammer had just listened. Would have, could have, and should have been. Waste of fucking time...
As far as Liam was concerned, the only one who had set Hammer up for a fall was the man himself, the minute the stupid fuck had allowed a sadist like Beck anywhere near the woman he supposedly loved.
Raine lifted her head to stare at Hammer. Betrayal and hurt filled her eyes, then she hid from her mentor, burying her face in Liam’s chest once more. He cradled her head.
“She was so precious to you that you let a sick wanker like Beck abuse her,” Liam sneered. “No more.”
He’d never meant for this to happen, but he’d been forced to choose between the man he’d thought was his friend—whom he didn’t seem to know anymore—and the girl who needed him. The woman who was making him feel alive again.
He hugged Raine in his arms, tight to his chest, and turned away from his old pal.
In the glass, he caught sight of Hammer, shock and denial spilling all over his face. Then he grabbed Beck by the arm with a feral growl and yanked the big tattooed sadist away. “I told you to scare her a bit, not to hurt her, you stupid fucker. Go wait in my office.”
A million thoughts careened through Liam’s mind. Even if Beck had taken the punishment farther than Hammer intended, his friend had still allowed the sick bastard in the same room with a naked Raine. She’d suffered a terrible blow—and not just physically.
Giving Raine his full attention once more, Liam soothed and petted her, calming her tears and gentling her with his voice. With his touch. “There now, lass. Your punishment is done, but I need you to stay brave a bit longer. I’m determined to claim you as a Master should. And I intend to see it done properly, here and now. So no one has any doubts.” Her startled gaze bounced up to his face, and she glanced at the crowd. “Do you understand me?”
It wasn’t strictly necessary, but he didn’t trust Hammer not to hurt Raine anymore. Even if the man rushed in to claim her now, Liam didn’t have any faith in Macen after today. As far as he was concerned, Hammer best learn that Liam was in charge of the girl now. Yes, he wanted to fuck her, which still made him feel vaguely guilty, but with this act, he’d give Hammer a vivid picture of the new reality—Raine was off limits.
She looked bewildered and anxious, unsure. He gave her a moment to digest, comprehend. He watched as the light dawned. Finally, she nodded. Sheer will emanated from her. Fuck, her determination amazed him.
She didn’t once look Hammer’s way as the man walked back in the room, alone now, clenching and unclenching his fists.
Liam helped her to her feet, making sure she had two steady legs beneath her. He didn’t release her until she sent him a sure nod. “I’m fine, Sir.”
He cocked a little smile at her. He wasn’t usually much for protocol, but he appreciated her effort, especially in front of the others. “Then back on the bench.”