Page 74 of The Captive Missing

“Yes.”

“How many hours would you estimate you were locked in the room with him?”

“Not hours. Days. Three days,” she corrected. Jason sucked in a breath. “Then he came and went for another three, but I stayed.”

“Was he a client?” Agent Finn asked. “Because you aren’t supposed to be seeing clients by order of the court.”

“He is not a client.”

“Who is he?”

“Another captive.”

“Can you explain to us what’s going on?” Agent Finn coaxed as gently as possible, eyes fixed on hers. “Because the rest of us will never be able to help you, or anyone else, if someone doesn’t step up and explain it. Will you be that person, Val?”

“I will.” Val held Finn’s gaze. “But only if he’s not in here.”

Agent Finn didn’t respond immediately. He knew who she was talking about. And so did everyone else.

“Please.” Jason jumped into the silence. Getting out of his chair, he closed the distance between them and crouched beside her. “I can take it. I can, I swear. Don’t make me leave.”

Tentatively, he reached out, ran his fingers through her hair, tugged gently at the ends. It was a reminder of their once easy connection. And a painful reminder at that.

Closing her eyes, she flashed to Shane and Ben, to Peter and Charlie, to all the men who had touched her and kissed her since she had vowed to belong only to Jason. She thought of the one who had made her want things, things she shouldn’t want. She was a bad wife. A terrible person.

“Don’t.” Val pushed him away before stumbling out of the chair. “Don’t touch me. I can’t be with you anymore; don’t you understand that?”

“No.” Jason shook his head, rising to his feet. “I don’t understand.”

Pacing away from him, Val sought escape but found none. Agent Finn hadn’t released her, Shane was waiting just outside the door. Burying her face in her hands, Val faced the wall and leaned her forehead against it.

Sucking in oxygen, she squeezed her eyes shut. Just behind her, she could sense Jason’s approach. He was slow, measured. His energy hovered and collected at her back.

Placing his hands gently on her arms, he rotated her around to face him, but she kept her face covered. Her skin tingled beneath his touch. She heard Finn issue a warning, then go silent as Jason pulled her hands away to carefully study her face.

Finally beaten, she let him get a long look. Eyes shining with guilt and heartache, she felt him cup her chin, run a thumb gently over her lips.

“I love you,” he said simply. “No matter what you think you’ve done, or what they’ve done to you. I will never give up on you. I will never stop fighting to bring you home. To your real home. With me and our son. Tell us what’s going on. Please, Val. Please.”

“I’m in the breeding program,” Val answered, and watched his face turn ashen.

Chapter 22

The moment she let the phrase fall from her lips, the room erupted in sound. The nurse scrawled notes and murmured to herself. Senior growled at the lawyers he was paying so much for. They answered back, flipping through papers.

All the while, Agent Finn sat resolutely silent in his chair, watching. Val was still backed up against a wall, with Jason’s hands stroking reassuringly at her cheeks. He nodded to her, as if to say, see I’m still here. But she knew he didn’t quite get it, and she feared it wouldn’t take him much longer to get there.

“The son of a bitch can’t sell her to clients, so he puts her in breeding?” Senior was furious, slapping his hand down on the table.

“I don’t see how we missed that in the injunction.” One attorney was saying, as the others scrambled for their phones. “It covers all forced sexual encounters.”

“The breeding program wouldn’t be covered under the injunction if the sex was consensual.” Agent Finn’s voice was low, but steady.

All others fell instantly away.

“That’s enough,” Jason said, not taking his eyes off his wife.

“How are they getting your consent?” Agent Finn persisted. “Is that why you stopped eating?”

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