Once again the elevator dings, my head immediately turns to the sound, relief washes through me when Hudson walks out, a smile on his face. He stands by the elevator doors, looking every bit the powerful man he is. I bite the inside of my cheek when he crooks his finger at me, he’s instructing me to come to him. How dare he? I’m not a dog. I rise from the chair and walk toward him. As soon as I get close his hand reaches for me.
“You crooked your finger at me,” I tell him as I take his hand.
He smirks. “I did.” He presses the button for the elevator.
“It was extremely rude.” I inform him as we wait.
“I apologize, what would you like me to do in the future?” I know that he’s not taking it seriously, and neither am I, it annoyed me and I’ve told him as much. I shrug, not sure what he should do, anything is better than that. “I’ll walk over to you.”
“Is everything okay? You were gone a while.” I ask as the doors to the elevator open.
Hudson places his hand on the base of my back, directing me past the doors. As soon as he releases me I walk to the back and turn to face Hudson. The elevator is empty and once the doors close, Hudson speaks. “I had to check on the condition of Johnson, while I want you to see my world, there are some things you do not need to see.” His gaze is intense as he looks at me, those deep brown eyes so full of love and affection.
My tongue swipes my bottom lip, coating it so that it’s not dry. “How is he?” I don’t know why I’m asking, curiosity getting the better of me, maybe?
“Alive, barely injured. He’s ready to be questioned. I’m going to ask you once again to stay in the shadows. Whatever you may see you are not to react." The warning is there. So clear to hear.
"I won't I promise I'll stay outside and I'll be quiet.” I promise him, just as I did with Macka. I won't go against Hudson not in front of his men anyway. I know that if I challenged him in front of his men it would be classified as disrespect. If his men did it they'd be punished.
He stalks toward me, his hands going either side of my body onto the walls of the elevator, pinning me where I stand. "Made for me," he murmurs gruffly and I feel it all the way in my stomach, where those butterflies begin to swarm. I bite back a groan as his lips touch the shell of my ear, “Never letting you go,” he declares and instantly my thighs slam together as liquid pools in my panties. “Mine,” he growls and I shiver.
“Hudson,” I moan, he can’t do this to me, not here. It’s not fair, we’re about to face his men.
His lips gently touch mine. “I promised you, no more tonight.” Even as he says the words I can see the lust in his eyes, he doesn’t want to keep his promise. “Anyway, we’re here now.”
I frown when I realize that we’ve gone down to the basement. As soon as the doors open Hudson grabs my hand and pulls me behind him. He leads us past the laundry room and towards a steel door. A hundred questions run through my mind but when I see David waiting for us, each one of them are silenced.
“Boss,” David says with a nod of his head and I realize that when the men nod their heads to him, it’s their way of doing a courtesy, it’s a show of respect.
I give David a small smile, my heart hurts for him, he’s just lost his wife and he looks a mess. His normally shaved head is starting to grow out, he’s light stubble growing into a full beard. His eyes are bloodshot, and his clothes are unkempt.
“My condolences, Princess,” he murmurs.
“Thank you,” I reply shocked, he called me Princess, only Hudson has so far. I’m not sure that I like it coming from anyone else's mouth. It sounds foreign.
“David, call Rory and find out what the hell is taking them so long,” Hudson instructs him and I keep my head down as the steel door opens, Hudson immediately steps in front of me, shielding me in case anyone’s looking.
“On it, Boss.”
Once we’re in the room, I realize why they call it the church, it’s an old small offertory, with pews and an altar. I have so many questions and yet no one to answer them just yet. The room is in darkness, only a little light by the alter shining. I move in the shadows to the darkest corner of the room, my eyes on the figure strapped to a pew in front of the altar. He’s in his pants, his shirt off and lying on the ground beside him, his arms and legs both restrained with zip wire, a tie shoved into his mouth, no doubt silencing his screams. There’s six men in this room, three of them I know, I have seen, they’re Hudson’s men, Jagger, Liam, and Alex, the other’s I’ve not seen before. Hudson usually only lets those who show their loyalty to him around me.
“Mr Johnson, it’s good to see you.” Hudson says sarcastically, the men laugh. “Now, are you ready to talk?”
I watch as Mr Johnson’s eyes narrow. He says something but it’s hard to make out what, as it comes out as a mumble thanks to the tie that’s being used as a gag.
“Fine, have it your way,” Hudson says and clicks his fingers. Two of the men leave the room, they're gone for a few minutes before they return with a woman being dragged into the room with them, and David looking menacingly as he walks in behind them. ?
??Do you know who this is?” Hudson taunts and I press closer to the wall as they throw the woman to the ground beside Mr Johnson.
“Clive, what have you done?” The woman sobs as she gets to her knees. Mr Johnson once again mumbles something and the woman tentatively reaches up and pulls down his gag. “Why am I here?”
“They want something,” he says through clenched teeth, it’s then that I notice that his leg is broken. It’s twisted in a way that it shouldn’t be.
“What? What is it that they want?” she cries.
“Josie, please, just shush, it’s going to be okay,” he tells her, it’s almost as if he knows something, something we’re missing. His cockiness reminds me of Macka and how he was confident that Martin wouldn’t be found out.
“Okay? Do you know who that is?” she whimpers. “He’s a monster, Josie. It’s Hudson Brady. He won’t hesitate killing us.”