Page 97 of Their Domme

“Dump the coffee or throw it in some cups. We need to leave.”

“What about this place?” he asked, moving to do as I ordered while I memorized everything on the screen then shut it all down.

“I got that taken care of.”

Without asking anything else, he poured the coffee in some cups. A few minutes later, we were out the door and on the road. I sipped my coffee, praying that adrenaline gave us enough juice to get back to the others.

There was no cell phone service out here, so there was no use in turning on my phone until we were a ways down the road. He better start driving faster because my entire fucking life is riding on the line here.

“Oli… the papers… You know what that means?” Atlas finally broached the subject, his eyes still on the road.

“Yeah,” I replied seriously. “You’re going to be an uncle.”

Atlas somehow paled more than I thought humanly possible, but I grinned, delighted that I could already fuck with him. I might not be ready to call him my brother yet, but I couldn’t resist causing a little bit of mischief. I couldn’t say it out loud, but I could practice saying it in my head.What are little brothers for?

Nicholette

Saturday

The only thing that kept me upright and not slack-jawed from shock was Maeve’s teachings. My heart pounded in my ears, and my breathing sounded extra loud. The world seemed to slow down and speed up around me at the same time as I tilted my head at him.Keep every emotion on lockdown. He’ll just use them against you.

“Miranda was never pregnant. Never could get that old cow to breed, but you… You had no problems at all. You were small and young, but that just meant your body bounced back quickly. Guess that worked in your favor given the job you got. That’s all you’ve ever been good for.”

“Who took him?” I asked, ignoring the taunts and the bombshell he’d dropped at my feet.Concentrate. Concentrate on what needs to be taken care of then deal with the fallout afterward.

“Our son? Find him yourself. Miranda died trying to protect him, you know. I saw her get shot in the face when she tried to reach for him. She might have hated you, but she never hated that boy.”

“So just the monologue then?” I asked, my rage and pain simmering under the surface. I stared down at the man who’d just admitted to raping me and forcing me to have his child when I was so fucking young I couldn’t even think about it. “Rhodes, I need the four motorcycles and those chains I mentioned earlier.”

“What do you have planned, Nic?” Sacha asked as he approached me. There was pure rage in his face, but his tone was nothing but caring. He stopped beside me and held out a hand, a casual and perfect way to give me control of my body after learning how little I’d had as a child. I took it and let him pull me close, taking a deep breath to help me keep it together until this was done. No way would Joe see me cry today. He’d been the cause of too many of my tears already.

“History was always one of my favorite subjects in school. There was one thing that always fascinated me, and I’m interested to see it in person.” I ran my hands over his arms while directing my words at Rhodes and the others. “Quartering. Using four horses to pull a body in different directions until it was ripped into pieces. Motorcycles would be a good substitute for the modern era, don’t you think so?”

“Holy shit.” I couldn’t tell who muttered it, but they sounded more impressed than appalled. These really were my people.

“So, hotshot, think you can handle that for me?”

“We need another bike,” he rasped as he indicated himself, Maks, and Vas. “I’ll call Razor.”

“You can’t do this!” Joe yelled out, and I savored the desperation in his voice, committing it to memory so I could replay it later when I was forced to face the feelings his confession had stirred in me. Rhodes pulled out his phone as he and Maks strode away. Alexei and Vas stayed behind, staring at Joe like they were trying to figure out just how whole he needed to be .

I pulled out of Sacha’s arms and strode over to Joe. With a hard yank on his hair, I tugged him upward, knowing his broken bones would only shift and grind with the forced movement. “I can do anything I want with you. There’s no one here who can stop me or would want to. In fact, they’d all help. If I had asked them to help me pull you apart in a game of fucking tug-of-war, they would have lined up. And I’m sure I can think of some ways to pass the time before our friend gets here. The only thing that matters is you’re still alive so I can hear you scream when you die.”

“That does leave a lot of leeway,” Vas rumbled to the others. He was pissed, and when he cracked his knuckles, I knew his tool of choice would be his bare hands.

“I think we can think of some ways to keep him entertained,” Ansel said softly, the promise of pain in his voice making me shiver in anticipation. “I’d hate to be considered rude to my guest.”

“Have at him.”

Vas pulled back and punched him in the face just as Ansel opened the box he had brought with him. It was filled with an array of small blades, their edges super thin and sharp. I knew from experience they would cut through skin like paper, leaving a trail of bright pain that made you breathless. As Ansel considered which one to start with, Alexei threw a punch at the restrained man, making Joe grunt. The contrast of pure physical brutality and the finesse of Ansel’s skills made me appreciate them all the more.

The clearing of a throat caught my attention, and I looked over to see Bodhi standing there with a serious expression on his face. He kept me company, and I felt Sacha’s nearness again when he came over to join us.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I told them, my voice empty. “I can’t even process the idea that I’m— that he’s—”

“That’s understandable,” Bodhi reassured me firmly, cutting off my rambling.

“Anything you need, Nic. We’re here,” Emmerich called out, and I looked back. Em, Blake, and the others were all so fucking serious and angry on my behalf.

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