Funyuns,” Cassel says, totally getting me. So I stick one in his mouth. He merrily chomps away as he click clacks at his computer.
Twenty-One
Jackson
There’s a knock on the bedroom door that jars me from my sleep. Sarge lets out a bark before deciding that the threat isn’t worth it and laying his head back down. “Sleepy fucks, wake up!” Cassel yells.
Leland rolls into me and snuggles against me, which he knows is my weakness and makes me give in, even though I know I shouldn’t. I could hold him to me like this all day and never get tired of it. And the thought of what’s going on out there makes this that much more appealing.
The bedroom door flings open and Cassel comes in. “Your level of love for each other disgusts me. Oh, and I have a hit. Maybe… I think I might have the person. I won’t bother you with the details on how I found them because I know both of you are massive assholes who don’t even acknowledge my genius, but just know that I have slaved over figuring it out and I think I finally have.”
“You’re an awesome genius,” Leland mumbles.
Cassel seems pleased. “Thank you. Thank you. So I’ve informed them that they have to meet with us and if they don’t, you’re letting Jackson go. And if they try to fuck with us, we’ll kill them. And that we want the money in cash.”
“You think this will actually work?” I ask as I sit up.
“Your guess is as good as mine. They’re not going to send someone they care about losing, but he asks for you to be blindfolded which tells me you might recognize him.”
“Huh.”
“What about ball gagged?” Leland asks eagerly.
I look over at Leland spouting his ridiculous ideas. “Sarge carried that fucking gag around all night, I’m not putting it into my mouth.”
The look on Leland’s face tells me he thinks I’m being ridiculous. “He refuses to live a little,” Leland says, like that’s a good explanation of why I don’t want a dog-slobbered ball gag in my mouth. “I’m getting up and ready. Jackson, get your bodysuit on.”
I stare at Leland because he cannot possibly mean the bulletproof bodysuit he nearly drowned me in. “You don’t remember it nearly killed me last time?”
“Killed, shmilled. You’re fine,” he says.
I wait until he’s gone to put on the bulletproof vest and stuff the rest under the bed. If I come walking in stiff-legged, the people meeting us are going to notice something’s wrong.
Once I’m dressed and ready, I head toward the kitchen to wait.
“Cassel, can you tie him up for me, please?” Leland calls from the bathroom.
“Gladly!”
Cassel goes over to the bag and pulls out the rope Leland bought. “Why’s it so long? Isn’t this a shibari bondage rope or whatever they call it?”
“I… don’t know what that is,” I admit.
“Oh, I was working this case with this guy who was super into it,” he says as he grabs my wrist and pulls it behind my back. “I wanted to get his attention, so I watched a ton of YouTube videos and perfected my art of Japanese bondage. So then I paid off the guy he actually hired to tie him up.” He winds the rope over my chest… why my left pec needed to be restrained, I’ll never know. “And there I was, waiting for him. And I flaunted and purred to him and called him a naughty boy and tied him up real tight until he couldn’t go anywhere as I demanded the information out of him. When I was done, he said he was so pleased, he didn’t even mind giving away the information and asked if I’d come again next week.”
“Did you?” I ask, oddly curious.
Cassel is silent as he turns me around. “I did. It… wasn’t one of my finer moments. I never had sex with him or anything, but he paid so well! All I had to do was tie him up and be mean to him, and I have to admit… it was kind of fun. Let’s pretend none of that happened.” He pulls the ropes snug then steps back with a smile, clearly proud of himself. “Perfect.”
I glance down at the rope around my chest and abdomen and tug at my arms tied behind my back and question why I’m in this scenario. “Umm… I don’t think this is what Leland had in mind.”
Leland steps out of the bathroom, takes one look at me, and