Page 64 of Indiscreet

He came over to stand in front of me. “You find that amusing? No wonder one of your lovers called me this morning to bring you here.”

I pressed my lips together. “You’re lying.”

“Oh good.” He chuckled. “I was hoping to be the one to break this news to you.” He next called the guard over. Liz was escorted out with the other women, leaving me alone with him, but not for long. My heart dropped to my feet. Coming through the door in a suit and tie was none other than Elliott Carmichael, the very man I thought was Dane’s best friend and my ally. He strolled over to Vincent and they gave each other a hug. Hatred took hold of me. I’d been completely blindsided. I hadn’t fully understood Elliott, but I couldn’t believe he’d betrayed me. I bit the inside of my cheek hard to stop myself from falling apart, but I was losing the battle. Is Dane here too?

“Miss me, baby?” Elliott said to me as he winked.

“Fuck off,” I hissed, and Vincent laughed.

“You were right.” Vincent chuckled. “Seeing her face when you came in was worth having you here.”

“You should have let me take her off the ship.” He glanced over my face. “It would have gone better than using Marco.”

Vincent cursed. “Yeah. Marco is as much a disappointment as Dane. You smoothed that over?”

“Yes, I did,” Elliott said. He took out a key I recognized as the one Dane had used to lock the band on my wrist. “He thinks she left with me and by the time he finds out, he’ll just think she wanted to put it all behind her and stay away from him.”

“You fucking asshole,” I shrieked. “How could you do that to him after all you know—”

“Shut the hell up,” Elliott said through gritted teeth. He came over and clasped the sides of my face. His eyes bore into mine. “Or will we need to drug you again?” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Like I told you before: you try to escape, and I’ll turn everything upside down to find you.”

I blinked at him in confusion. What he said was close to what he’d told me before.

Did that mean he was there to help me, or was this more betrayal? I wouldn’t risk it.

I jerked away, and his head nodded before he swung back around to Vincent. “See? A pain in the ass. That’s why I want rid of her. Dane seemed to like the challenge.”

Vincent shrugged. “I’m with Dane—I like them feisty. You should see the one that came over from our European chapter. She was a spitfire when I saw her once before, a few years ago, but now she’s kind of slow.”

I swallowed. Angel.

“If she’s that messed up, why not cut her loose?” Elliott asked. The sound of sirens temporarily made it hard to hear Vincent’s answers. My heart beat harder when they came close, but then the sound faded again.

“I got a call to pick her up for the trade today,” he said as he sat down on a lounge chair next to me. “The man that had Angel kept her too long and was stupid. It happens sometimes. He’s in the hospital over here, getting surgery for something rare. We are planning to kick him out. So, we hope to find one of you to take her. He had picked out Dane, and even wanted us to do a video stream so he could see her going to him, but Dane brought Gia and was an ass about hiding her, so he’s out. I head up the trade shows. I decide who gets to play.”

I sneered at him. Vincent was full of shit as much as he was of information. He wouldn’t say his name, but what the man who’d kept Angel had against Dane was apparently personal. The Agency wasn’t just about taking women; it was also about revenge. The absolute cruelty of the man who’d kept Angel for years made me cringe. He must have known all along who she was, and Dane, possibly the real Dane…Dane Prescott. It made me sick to think he wanted to watch Dane be destroyed by seeing what he and his buddies had reduced Angel to. If that weren’t horrible enough, he’d also meet the child he never knew.

“Sounds like a good plan,” Elliott said, and they laughed together. “But you shouldn’t talk in front of her.”

Vincent shrugged. “Why not? She can’t go home. I might as well keep her…it’s a shame Angel’s keeper is sick,” Vincent said then turned to me. “He does good training. When he recovers, I might let him have Gia for a week before we kick him out.”

His calloused fingers stroked my cheek and I swiped his hand away.

He scoffed. “I’m too old for brats. When you start behaving like an angel, you will have more freedom. Could someone get her some e-comply?”

Whatever these men did had made Angel go insane. I wasn’t taking any more drugs or giving in.

I stood up, and Elliott grabbed my sore arms. “Sit down.”

I jerked out of his hold. “I’m not going to sit here and let him drug and rape me. I don’t care about money, lifestyle, or any of this shit. Just take it all and let me go.”

“Whatever you want to do, Vince,” Elliott offered, ignoring me.

Vincent held up his hand. “Someone get in here now.” He called out for a guard again, but no one came. I looked around for a way out as minutes passed.

Elliott grumbled as I twisted in his hold again. “What’s taking so long?”

“I’ll be back.” Vincent pushed the door wider and walked through the gap, yelling, “Didn’t you hear me calling for you?”

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