Page 91 of Dangerous Deviance
“Don’t do it, Bates,” I called.
“These are our guests,” Bates said to the women. Hundreds of eyes turned and locked on us. “We must be polite, correct?”
The women stepped forward, their eyes wide and glowing like gems at the bottom of a lake. They moved methodically, their hips swaying together like a murmur of crows. But none of them lifted a hand. Not yet.
“Damn it,” I whispered. I glanced at Derek but kept my gun trained on Bates. “What’s the plan?”
“We’ve got to kill them,” Axe said.
“We’ve got to make a decision quick,” I said.
“I don’t think we have much choice,” Derek said.
“We’re not going to have a choice if we wait any longer,” Axe said.
Fuck it. I pulled back the hammer, fixing the focus on Bates’s head. If it was suicide, I might as well take him with me. For Ellie.
“I’d be careful with that,” Bates said, eyeing me. “You don’t know what I have planned, do you?” A smirk gleamed on his mouth. “Or you would have come with a better plan.”
“It’s over, Bates,” I said. “Let the women go. The game is over.”
“Game?” he laughed. “It’s funny that you should use that word. That’s the marvelous part of our program. All of these women,” he grinned, gesturing at them, “They’ve been trained to be alluring. Exactly what the targets want. For instance, you—” he pointed at me, “Your name is Wilhelm, right? We programmed one of our star students into being both feisty and submissive, your dream combination. It is quite the game, isn’t it?” Bates smiled. “Especially when she stabs a knife into your jaw, right as you’re about to come.”
Every muscle in my body tightened. But it didn’t matter. None of it mattered. Despite what Dr. Bates said, Ellie had fought against her training and had still been mine. She had chosen that path for herself. I bared my teeth.
“I will end you,” I barked.
“Or, you’ll bow down to Muro,” he smiled. “Take your pick.”
I adjusted my aim, ready to pull the trigger.
“Dr. Bates,” a smooth, female voice said, interrupting us. A light brown-haired woman stepped out from behind the building, wearing the same uniform as the others. Her voice sounded different, more confident. Seductive, even.
Ellie.
I flinched, and Bates noticed the movement, glancing at me, then turning back to Ellie.
“What a pleasant surprise,” Dr. Bates said. “Excellent work, Ms. Jordan, bringing the targets back to the camp.” Bates squeezed her shoulder. “Your sister would be very proud.”
Ellie’s plastered smile flickered, but she nodded anyway. “I knew the most efficient way to eliminate them would be to make sure that they were all here. Annihilate them in one exercise.” She winked at Bates, stroking his arm. “Target practice.”
“You are a true marvel,” Bates said. “We’ll have to promote you. Muro is going to need more help in the headquarters soon.”
Ellie beamed at him, a smug expression on her face, and I muttered under my breath. Derek twitched, his eyes scanning towards me, but I shook my head. This wasn’t right. Ellie might have been trained to kill us, but she had broken through her training.
Hadn’t she?
The man with the bullwhip had his eyes on Ellie, staring at her ass, even if her figure was non-existent in that bulky white uniform. I wanted to rip his eyes out and shove them down his throat. I knew, instinctively, that he was the one that had raped her. I would kill him too.
“I’ve always admired you,” Ellie said. She put a hand around Dr. Bates’s neck. “If it weren’t for your teachings, I might not have completed the task. I wouldn’t have been able to avenge my sister.”
“You owe it to yourself,” Dr. Bates said. “You are at the top of your class.”
“I have one question though,” Ellie said. She pulled her body close to his, her hands teasing his arms with a gentle touch. Her voice was like milk, dripping over the edges of a bowl, marked with streaks of honey. “Did you kill my sister?”
“It was part of her training,” Bates said in a husky voice. “She needed to resign.” He stared into her, his eyelids lowered, overcome with lust. “I set her up for one final fight so that you would become stronger, Ellie. I did it to make you stronger. It was what you needed to become our secret weapon.”
Ellie smiled, her lips parting. “And I am the strongest of them all,” she said. She pulled him in for a kiss.
