What the hell had he been thinking, getting involved with her? It complicated things in so many ways… none of which mattered as long as he could have Aliya, and he would have her in as many ways as possible. He would bind her to him in as many ways as he could—sexually, emotionally, and physically with a ring on her finger and a collar around her neck.

It was four a.m.

He went to the observation tower, where the security crew had every computer screen and monitor up, searching for any sign of vehicular approach. They were watching the sky, the ocean, and the single winding road that meandered up the grassy cliffside from the main road a good four miles away. Another monitored the soundwaves.

“Nervous?” one asked him. “Can’t sleep?”

“We kidnapped a member of the Wild fucking Mustangs. Yes,” he answered coolly. “I’m a bit nervous.”

The other snort-laughed. “Something put him off his nut, that’s for sure.” He shook his head once. “Poor thing.”

“Who?” That took him aback. “Fariq?” He almost laughed. Never in a million years would he ever have described the man as a poor anything.

“Nah, the girl.” Shaking his head again, the man said, “Apparently, he found a spot of what he’s convinced himself was cum on her mattress. Guess he forgot, when it’s done right, girls come, too, even when playing with themselves. Went completely off his nut after you left. He’s done whipped the poor thing half to death.”

Reid felt the blood drain from him. For the first time in memory, his knees wobbled and very nearly went out from under him. He caught the back of the nearest computer chair, steadying himself before anyone else noticed.

“He what?”

The man blinked at him. “Whipped her.”

Reid stared at him, those two words echoing in his head for what felt like forever. He couldn’t make himself move, couldn’t seem even to make himself breathe. He was frozen, locked in a state of utter paralysis—the only thing he could see was Aliya lying tied to the bed, and the only thing he could hear were those soft whimpering moans he’d muffled behind his hand as he’d took her.

Spilling his cum on her bed when he’d had to make his hasty retreat.

Right before he’d gone after Thom, leaving her defenseless with a monster.

He was going to kill him.

“We have movement,” someone suddenly said, sending a sizzling jolt through Reid, breaking him from his paralysis. “Wait… maybe not.”

“Where?” The man beside him leaned over to study the monitors.

“I don’t know… I thought I saw something, though if I did, it was awfully low to the water.”

“Congratulations,” his partner said drily. “You caught a dolphin on radar.”

Reid knew better.

“Keep me appraised,” he said, already heading out the door. He kept his pace slow and steady as he made his way to the nearest set of stairs.

He wanted to go to her but went to Thom instead. He dismissed the guards at the door.

“Get to the roof and get ready,” he ordered. “We’re about to come under attack.”

It was a warning he shouldn’t have given them, but it got them out of the way, clearing a path from here to the end of the hall, where another balcony provided his best chance of getting out of here without Avery’s risking herself in a hasty landing.

He found Thom asleep on a cot, the blinking lights of the laptop running through whatever automated process he’d set while he slept. Clapping a hand over Thom’s mouth, woke him with a jolt, and Thom grabbed his wrist.

“Your girl is about to come in guns-a-blazing to rescue you. If she found the note I left her, she’s going to want to get me out as well, but I’m expendable and need you to make sure she understands that.”

Thom’s eyes narrowed above Christian’s silencing hand.

“The only thing that matters right now is getting the information she now has into General Markoff’s hands. He’ll know what to do with it.”

Wrenching Reid’s hand off his mouth, Thom shoved up to sit on the cot that had been provided for him.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Who are you working for?”