Page 18 of Slayer

I nod, the movement drawing my attention to the collar wrapped around my throat. There is no chance of her mistaking why I'm here.

“I'm good, thanks.” I dart away quickly but seeing her has me wondering about this collar. It didn’t faze her to see me wearing it, bringing up questions about how often Knox has collared boys running around, and what happened to them all. I really need to find Annie and get out of here.

I find a room devoted to a pool table and drinking chairs. I stick with my habit of leaving the door open, so I know where I've been and more importantly, where I'm going. How the other half live is amazing. There is a swimming pool through one door, and for a moment, I'm tempted to take my clothes off and sink into the warm water. Later after…

After I find Annie and escape.

There is no after or later. I'm not staying here. I'm running away from the swimming pool and going home to my druggy mum and her messy habits. The house Knox knows all about where he'd just come and get me. I'd have to leave home; we'd have to go on the run. Just imagining running with Mum makes me cringe.

Running with a drug addict, or sex and swimming pools with a hot bad boy.

This is an impossible situation to be in. How can I choose between two impossible situations? I can't run with Mum, but I can't leave her. Even worse, I don't know where she is. One weekend. That is all Knox has asked of me, all he has offered me. I need to remember this is a short term deal. One weekend of being this man's sex toy and my life can return to normal after. Or worst case scenario I wind up dead.

I can't make these decisions while staring longingly at a swimming pool or being offered biscuits. This man is evil and somewhere in this amazing house, he is hiding more than my sister. I just need to find it.

“Is everything OK?” A stranger's voice calls, and I jump sky high. “I assume you are wondering how the pool works.”

“I… uh… um…” Spinning around my words abandon me as I stare at this colossal man before me. He looks as solid as a rock under that suit jacket.

“I'm Freddie. Head of security.”

“I'm… uh… Porter.” Or just the latest collared idiot.

“The controls are here.” He goes from looking like he could kill me to explaining all the switches on the wall. “This one turns the windows opaque, if you're feeling a little modest.” He demonstrates, and the full length windows across the length of the room turn a little grey. “Trust me, the windows are dark from the outside.”

I'll take his word for it, being as I'm a prisoner here and not permitted to leave.

“Water temperature, current and bubbles here.”

“Current?”

“So you can swim further. Just program the current to your spinning speed and you'll never need to turn around at the end.”

It sounds fascinating, but I don't fancy stripping my clothes off again.

“Mr Thayer keeps his spare trunks in here with the towels.”

Well now this part sounds interesting. Not that my waist is as broad as Knox’s, but if it's a tie waist does its job, I can get a few lengths in.

“Thanks.” I nod at the man, and he leaves me alone.

Alone in a private swimming pool.

It wouldn't hurt to take a dip. I owe it to myself to live this experience to the fullest. Take the good with the bad. The good being a swimming pool and the bad being amazing sex.

Damn it.

Mum is being cared for by people far more qualified than me, and Annie isn't being hurt. I am doing my bit for them, aren't I. Having a swim isn't being cruel to them or abandoning them.

My decision is made, I grab a towel and a pair of swim shorts from the cupboard and quickly change.

fourteen

Knox

Pacingthefloorinmy office makes me feel more frustrated but it's distracting my feet. I want to go home to Porter, but I can't. He needs to realise my house is far more than he could ever dream of. In other words, he needs to decide he wants to stay. He won't do that with me looking over his shoulder the whole time. I've told him not to leave but put nothing in place to stop him. I have his mum, his sister, and his address. I'm not worried if he leaves.

My men are interviewing everyone who works for me, from the street runner to the cutters, to the club staff. These are people who know nothing about the various aspects of my business, so I have my different men out across town questioning them in their workplace.

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