why hadn’t he done it himself... She didn’t finish her thought as her scream resounded from her throat. It was so glaringly hot against her skin it seemed to blaze, her pain filling the room with a bright, illuminating light.
And then Lyne yanked. The collar fell from her hands, so tightly clenched that they couldn’t have let go of the torture device, and Jamie was pulled to him. She let out an agonized cry, curling her hands and following him, helpless with his hold on her hair.
She tried to meet Talon’s eyes, tried to plead with him. “Talon, please...”
“Cease your talking, woman!” Lyne screeched, his hand fisting in her hair.
Talon was deathly silent. She couldn’t see his face; tears were blurring her vision and she could barely speak with all of the torment that was wracking her body and hands. Nothing could have lessened it, she thought, and nothing could match it.
She let out a whimper, believing that Talon would leave her with him.
“You have ruined everything! I cannot control him anymore,” he shouted in her ear, the agonizing anger showing like a lighthouse in his voice. She flinched, fear flashing through her like a heated wave.
He was still so quiet... Jamie went limp, giving up. There was no use trying, she thought, eyes welling with tears as Lyne took another painful moment to pull on her hair. The sharp sting almost had her crying out, but she refused.
Talon let out a growl. Lyne froze, grip loosening.
Jamie shivered at his next words. “You never could.”
And then he attacked.
The solid metallic door slid closed with a soft whir. Lights dimmed considerable, and the dark interior of the room was everything that she admired. Her eyes adjusted and she stepped into the room, putting her purse on the counter next to the door.
It was steel, clean and slick in the light. The soft lights above dimmed even more, almost turning black. She didn’t mind, and set about tidying up. A visitor of hers would be showing up soon and she didn’t want to have bad representation.
Man, her day had been hard. First, it got leaked that their subject had gotten taken, along with the key to it all. Whoever had done that had made a very bad mistake. She had worked so hard to keep it quiet that the mission had been a slip-up without Lucian knowing, and now that he knew... Her hands clenched around the bra that she was holding. Now, he would suspect. He might not have said anything about it, or even told them to be on the look out, but she knew he was going to be keeping an eye on them all.
How was she going to get her job over with if he were watching her every movement? Seducing him years ago had been no problem, but his attraction for her had worn off. It still enraged her, after all of these years. Why couldn’t he want her? She was beautiful, she was young, she had a body to die for... She snarled.
The man only wanted money. Years of studying him, working with him, had revealed his mind set. It was all about the money and always would be. He didn’t let himself get attached, and seemed to use his goal to push others away.
She moved to the bathroom, putting her collection of dirty clothes in the hamper. It was habit, she knew. She had no real reason for cleaning. It was easier to will the clothing away, to just replacing them with a thought. It calmed her, though. Things were meant to be clean, orderly.
It had been drilled into her as a child, and she wasn’t strong enough to break free of its hold.
There was a knock on the door, and she stood up straight. She straightened her hair up while opening the door for her visitor. It closed behind him the minute her visitor entered, and she walked into the room. Her suit was still on, the enforcer badge placed regally on her impressive chest. She threw her shoulders back as she met his eyes, cocking her hip.
“My love,” she purred, coming forward. Her hand settled on his chest with soft grace as she pressed against him. “How are you feeling this evening? Want something to drink?”
She wagged her eyebrows at him, her darkening eyes gazing up at him suggestively. He just shook his head, pushing her away. Lucian had the darkest hair she had ever seen. It wasn’t just black, but more. His