Page 44 of Their Domme

Ichewed my lip as I locked my phone, knowing alone time was too big of an ask given everything that had happened.

“Who was it?” Sacha asked, a noticeable edge to his voice. “And don’t even think about lying.”

“Roderick. He needs to meet with me,” I admitted, meeting his intent gaze with a calm expression. “I can’t imagine it will take long.”

“You’re not going alone,” he warned me, and Vas held me tighter against his front.

“I didn’t even ask to go alone!” I replied tartly, arching an eyebrow. “I was going to ask who wants to go with me.”

Sacha narrowed his eyes at me, probably questioning how agreeable I was being, but before he could reply, Blake spoke up. “You need Oliver and Maksim to tear through the apartments to look for cameras, yes?” they started reasonably. “I’ll get Atlas to start looking at shit on this end since I don’t think he’s up to go to Ashview quite yet. Why don’t Ansel and I go with her? Nothing will happen to her with us.”

Ansel looked over at Blake, but his child’s expression was blank, patient, and totally focused on Sacha. The others looked between Blake and Sacha, waiting to see what the decision would be. In that moment, I knew I had been right in my instinct to entrust the kids to Sacha. This alpha-filled group looked to him for leadership, freely giving him authority, and that was quite a feat. There weren’t many in this group of killers and psychopaths that were the go-with-the-flow type—that only fell on Bodhi, and Oli when it suited him—but Sacha handled it all flawlessly.

“Take two of your men with you, Blake,” Sacha responded sharply, a steely look in his eyes. “If she slips away, it’s on your head.”

“I have someone who can meet us nearby,” Ansel added slowly, thoughtfully, and Blake and Emmerich both jolted. “And if you send me pictures of the compound, I’ll look them over.”

“I can do that,” Rhodes said. He was continuously rubbing his fingers together, clearly needing a cigarette.

“Let’s head to your apartment first.” Maksim directed the comment at Oli, who agreed, and Bodhi beside him. “Get that cleared before anything else since the asshole was definitely there.”

I sighed in irritation. “Which reminds me that I need new clothes… again.”

“Nic,” Bodhi said as Maksim and Oli headed for the door. “Speaking of clothes, have you heard from your friend Gabriel?”

I shook my head slowly.Why would they bring him up now?“No. Not for a while. Why? And how do you guys even know Gabriel?”

“We’re looking for him,” Bodhi replied, his gaze intent on me. “We have reason to believe he was taken by the trafficking ring or someone who knows about your connection with us.”

“Why would you say that?” I asked. I wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but I had a gut feeling that I wouldn’t like it.

“We were delivered a hand at the compound,” Rhodes informed me gently. “It was too big to be a child’s or teen’s, so we think it’s his.”

“Every bone in the hand was broken before it was cut off,” Vas rumbled behind me, and I felt the blood drain from my face. Every bone was broken… They knew their target, that’s for sure. They’d taken every possibility of doing what he loved away from him before taking the hand completely.I’ll kill them.

“Are you sure it’s not—”

“It was too big to be your brother’s,” Bodhi told me as he shook his head.

“Have you been given no proof of life?” Emmerich asked grimly.

“No, but I’ve been hiding. I don’t want pieces of him to prove he actually has my brother.”

“Giving you pieces would damage the merchandise,” Blake replied blandly, their voice carefully empty. “That’s how your guy or girl sees him, merchandise. If they’re threatening to sell him to the highest bidder, keeping him whole and alive is a priority, which is a good thing.”

“Tell that to the kids that have to live through it,” Oliver muttered angrily before he stalked outside, Maksim close behind him.

“He was in the Ashview trafficking ring? A child of it?” Ansel asked, staring after Oli.

“Yes,” Bodhi slowly answered after a heavy pause. “Why?”

“What are the chances?” Blake murmured before shaking their head. “Con, can you fill Atlas in and stay with him? Robin and Wulf can come with us and make sure Nic doesn’t disappear again.”

The younger guy with buzzed hair focused on Blake for a moment, blinking slowly when the older man spoke up. “I’ll stay with Atlas.”

“You won’t be any help to him on the computer,” Blake replied with a questioning glance.

“He doesn’t need help with the computer things,” Wulfric replied steadily, staring down Blake until they nodded.

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