Page 69 of Their Domme

“But then you waltzed back into Ashview soon after,” I told her dryly. “So there hasn’t been much digging since things have been nonstop with you back.”

Ansel chuckled roughly as Nic winked at me. “Sounds about right. I’ll look into it. It could be a lead to finding Joe and dragging him back. There’s someone I’m meeting with who might be able to help me find him sooner than I expected.”

“Who?” Nic asked.

“It’s always good to have friends on the inside, Liebling. I’ll let you know when I have more.”

Click.

Nic rolled her eyes at the abrupt ending, but she didn’t look surprised. Instead, she tossed the phone onto the bedside table on Sacha’s side, then she eyed the food across the room on the dresser.

“Soup?”

“I had other things on my mind than cooking,” Sacha told her honestly.

“And I see three bowls,” I told him with a cocky grin which made him flip me off. “I didn’t even have to throw my shoe this time.”

Nic threw back her head and laughed while my brother glared at me. I knew he was always annoyed when I did it, but that was what made it fun. He grabbed the food and brought it over, basically feeding Nic until she was halfway through with her bowl before digging in himself. Always the provider and protector, I could tell he enjoyed the fact that Nic needed him right now. She had wanted us before, but for at least a little while, she was going toneedus, and that was a fucking heady realization.

She ate everything before looking at both of us like she was still hungry. Without hesitation, I held out my bread to her, and she took it with a big grin on her face.

Not long after that, she was asleep, snuggled between the two of us, lightly snoring. I was surprised Sacha didn’t bother to take the dirty dishes downstairs since messes were something that always got on his nerves. But as we turned off the lights and he breathed her in, I knew why.

Every second we got with her wouldn’t make up for the month she was gone. We’d never get that time back.

Dirty dishes would be there tomorrow.

We’d learned that Nicholette might not always be.

Unknown

Thursday

She was gone.

Gone!

I screamed in frustration, kicking at one of the cages near me. The clanking metal just angered me even more. The sound was far too jarring in the silence of the early morning. My Nicholette had come to Millfield like a whirlwind, but she’d disappeared in less than a day. She had found Joe’s hidden room and the garage from the looks of things.

Business had kept me away from following her up here Tuesday, and then there were even more obligations to keep up appearances, so I’d completely missed her. The opportunity to take her had slipped through my fingers. I had a feeling I knew exactly where she was, but it was only a matter of time now. I spent yesterday getting her room ready for her—clothes, bath things, lingerie. Everything would be as it was back intheirapartment. She would want for nothing and have no reason to even think about that shithole they’d deluded her into thinking was her home. She was going to be the star of my every fucking fantasy, and if she cooperated, her brother would see the light of day.

He was my guarantee that she would do anything I said. Hell, I could punish him every time she did something wrong. Her mistakes would become his pain, and I’d make her watch. I knew she liked to do that. Or I could make Thomas watch, telling her it was all her fault, while I made her scream.

I released a shaky breath, my cock hard from just imagining it.

Soon, Nicholette, you’ll be right where you belong.

Now I just needed to get those fucking Russians and their friends out of the way.

If she thought they would protect her from me, she had no idea just how far I would go to get her.

Uncertain steps made me spin around, and I stilled, startled by the familiar face staring at me. Wide brown eyes, messy blonde hair, blood all over her clothes, and a bruise on her face. Wrenn, Nic’s ex, stood at the garage door, still and uncertain.

“Wrenn!” I exclaimed, acting like I was concerned. No need to let her know all the ideas running through my mind at the sight of her. How lucky for me and unfortunate for her that our paths had crossed. “What happened?”

“Nic,” Wrenn started, but her voice broke. Tears filled her eyes. She rubbed at her wrists, and I saw bruising on one, noticed blood dripping down her hands as she stumbled inside.So fucking trusting.“She killed my brother. Right beside me. She shot me too and knocked me out. Then someone cuffed me inside of the house, but I—I managed to escape.”

She sounded haunted, broken.

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