Page 56 of Breaking the Code

“Ledgers o’ some sort. I cannae make heads or tails o’ it. I’m hoping ye can.”

We spend the time eating and going over the info he brought back from the job I sent him on. Maeve wasn’t there. From the looks of things, the original buyer sold her to someone higher up the food chain than he was, but there’s no information as to who.

“The other victims?” I ask, looking up from the papers.

“I handled it,” Draven says, as all the light and life drain from his eyes. “I loaded them on a private jet and sent them back here to the doctor listed on the server for that sort o’ issue.”

After being rescued, I sat down with Everly and we went over all the people I knew the Order had on their payroll, under their thumb, or who worked with and for the Order of their own free will. The list was scary long and filled with people across the globe. There were law enforcement and politicians at all levels, businessmen, celebrities, royalty. So many do-gooders in the public eye were helping the Order on the sly.

The good doctor was one of the people the Order of Death had on their payroll. They recruited her straight out of college. The Order paid for her to attend medical school and then set her up with a private practice. They allowed her to practice as she saw fit, but in addition, she was to be available to help Owen and his cronies with whatever they demanded of her. I shudder to think of what they did to the woman to keep her under their thumb for so long.

Now, she works for the Society. Willingly. Gladly, as Everly said when I asked.

As I glanced down at the papers and back at Draven, I realized what the Order put her through is like what the rest of us have experienced. Abuse—emotional, physical, sexual, and mental—was the Order’s M.O. When that didn’t work, they robbed you of everything you loved and held dear until you fell in line with their orders.

“Tavish?”

“Yeah.”

“Are ye okay?”

My eyes lock onto his. His face blurs as my gaze fills with the ocean of emotion building with in me. “No. I’m not the least bit okay, Draven. I helped these people do this. I protected the Order. I could have gone to the Feds and turned evidence against them…”

“This is nae on ye, lilla du. This is solely on them. The Order did this, nae ye. Ye and Everly are working to right the wrongs perpetrated by the Order o’ Death did what ye had to do to survive. Dinnae take the blame for saving yerself.”

“Thank you, Draven.”

“Ye’re welcome, but it’s nae Draven. It’s Daddy.”

My cock throbs to life in my pants at his tone. The deep, domineering brogue pulses through me, setting me on fire. I move to get up and go to him, but he holds up his hand.

“Stay put. It’s time for yer punishment. Iffn ye still want to be mine, lilla du.”

My head bobs up and down so hard my vision swims and I get dizzy. The woozy feeling could also be relief, but I don’t care which it is. He wants me. He wants to be my Daddy.

“Are ye certain? I’m nae a gentleman, even if I have a title that says different.”

“I’m sure,” I say, my voice squeaking as I try to contain the excitement.

“Iffn ye give yerself to me, Tavish, then ye’re mine. Nae one else will ever touch ye. Iffn they do, I’ll gut them. Their blood will rain down on the earth and I’ll dance upon their corpse. Do ye understand?”

The words, and the sentiment behind them, envelope me and tears threaten. Refusing to let the emotion get to me, I nod.

“I’ll nae hurt ye, at least nae in a way ye dinnae ask for,” he clarifies with a chuckle. “I’ll whip that bubble butt regularly, though. Be it for pleasure or pain. With my hand or with my belt. Ye’ll wear my marks, but not in the way ye wear the ones from yer past.”

“Yes, please.”

“One last stipulation.”

When I nod, he says, “I’ll give ye the world and take care o’ ye, but, and this is important, love and a relationship outside o’ our dynamic arenae in the cards for us. I’ll nae put myself in that position again.”

Devastation barrels into me, flooding my system. But then I remind myself: it’s more than I ever thought I’d have.

“I understand, Daddy.”

“Do ye remember your safe words?”

I nod and his eyebrow cocks halfway up his forehead.

---