Bound by the Past (21 page)

He studied his mother’s face as she spoke. She truly did think of herself as a successful businesswoman. The fact that she was dealing in flesh and blood didn’t seem to register in her mind. She used fear and intimidation as easily as most people used a toaster. He racked his brains to recall the woman who’d held him when he was small whenever he fell down or had a bad dream. Where had she gone? Had she ever really been there or had he just imagined her?

“So all these women have come here from abusive situations?” Thank God Night hadn’t lost sight of their purpose. Jon’s mind was whirling with disbelief and horror.

“All except the last one. She actually came at my request, to serve as the office manager. It was an inspired move on my part, I must confess. I hadn’t even considered advertising out positions as a way of pulling in suitable candidates, but Carly opened my eyes to a whole new avenue.”

“Carly?” Jon asked.

“You probably know her, Jon. She was the secretary at your school before I lured her away.”

He was careful to keep his face impassive. Carly’s life could depend on it. “Carly James? Yes, I know who she is. I was curious about her resignation in the middle of the school year.”

“Landing her was a coup. Of course, she’s been a bit of a bother these first few days. Poor girl is taking her duties far too seriously. I’m afraid I’ll have to move her to the dungeon sooner rather than later if she doesn’t stop being such a thorn in my side.”

He fought to hide his grin. Carly was stirring up the hornet’s nest just as they had planned. And better yet, she wasn’t being held captive in the dungeon yet. She was still safe. Thank God.

Then, as if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

Glancing casually at his watch, Jon saw it was precisely noon. He held his breath as Sammy opened the door, desperate for a glimpse of his lover. They’d agreed that if she was able, Carly would interrupt their interview with Cassandra at this designated time. The plan was that she would make a tremendous scene and Night and Jon, appalled by her behavior, would both express their interest in taming the wildcat woman.

“M-mistress,” Sammy stammered, his bald head bowed low.

Cassandra rose from behind her desk, fury written plainly on her face. “How dare you disrupt this meeting.”

Sammy winced at her furious tone. Jon suspected the man would pay for his sins severely tonight in the dungeon. He was surprised by the pity he suddenly felt for the old man. “I beg your pardon, Mistress, but Ms. James insisted, she would not—”

Carly attempted to shove her way past Sammy and into the room. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, let me in, you fool. It is imperative that I see Mrs. Thomas—now.”

Jon watched Cassandra’s eyes narrow with anger before she nodded stiffly for Sammy to step aside.

Carly stormed into the room and straight up to his mother without casting a glance around the room. Her performance was magnificent. She looked every bit the indignant employee. Jon felt pride swelling in his chest at the enormity of her courage.

“Mrs. Thomas, I hate to be a bother, but I really must insist that you send someone downtown to pick up those filing cabinets I requested. I don’t know how you expect me to organize a damn thing with only packing boxes. On top of that, there isn’t a Post-it in the entire building. How can I work without Post-its?”

Jon took a step forward when he noticed his mother’s hand clench tightly at her side. He hoped to divert Cassandra’s attention back to him before she struck Carly for her impertinence. He suspected no one had ever dared to question his mother’s authority—and yet something told him Cassandra wouldn’t want them to witness her anger. She was working too hard to seem calm, cool and collected.

His movement had the anticipated effect as he watched an eerie calm pass over Cassandra’s face and, thankfully, the threat to Carly diminished.

“I assure you, my dear, all your concerns will be addressed in due time. But now, I’d like to introduce you to my son.”

Carly turned to face him as if suddenly surprised to find other people in the room. Her performance was worthy of an Academy Award. “Oh. It’s nice to meet you b—.” She paused when she looked at him. “Jon?”

“Oh, that’s right,” Cassandra said gleefully. “I forgot the two of you used to work together. Jon is my son.”

“I’m afraid our paths didn’t cross nearly enough at school,” Jon said with as much charm as he could muster. He was struggling not to pull her into his arms and kiss her until the next Ice Age. She looked lovelier than he’d ever seen her and he struggled to catch his breath as he took in her healthy, if somewhat tired, appearance. She’d apparently survived her three days alone in hell unscathed, but the dark shadows beneath her eyes betrayed the fact she’d not been sleeping well.

Jon proffered his hand, which she accepted, and he gave her a quick wink. He detected the slightest tremble in her touch and realized she wasn’t as unaffected by his presence as she seemed. He sensed a wave of relief and—God bless her wanton soul—a bit of desire in her gaze.

Night stepped forward as well. “And I’m the only man willing to befriend this poor soul. It’s a cross to bear at times—listening to all those dull school stories—but someone has to do it. Night Thomas, at your service.”

She giggled at his words, seemingly enchanted by his good looks. Her actions were so reminiscent of those of every woman who’d ever crossed his friend’s path, Jon could barely restrain from breaking into applause. “You truly are a saint, Mr. Thomas. A martyr among men. But you’re not the son? You and Mrs. Thomas share a name.”

“I’m Cassandra’s stepson,” he explained smoothly.

“I see.”

Cassandra studied the interaction. He silently prayed Carly’s earlier rudeness had done the trick. He had no doubt Cassandra would want to punish her for her transgressions and then get her out of her hair as quickly as possible. Although God help him if that was true because they would never lift a finger to truly harm Carly. Undercover or not. Right now, the best they could hope for was to stall for time while searching for evidence of his mother’s crimes.

“I was just telling Jon and Night how fortunate the center has been to retain you as our office manager.”

Carly turned back to Cassandra and the flirty smile she’d offered them died on her lips. “Yes, well, I’m not sure how much longer I intend to stay. I hate to offer ultimatums, Mrs. Thomas, but if you haven’t gotten me the materials I need by tomorrow, I’m afraid I’ll have to quit.”

Turning, Carly nodded at them. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Thomas, and a pleasure to see you again, Jon. Goodbye.”

With that parting shot, she left the room, shutting the door behind her with just the right amount of force.

His mother picked up the letter opener from her desk and flung it like a professional knife thrower at the wooden door. The razor-sharp instrument lodged there, quivering for a few seconds. Christ, Jon thought, his mother was lethal in her anger. He prayed Carly hadn’t overplayed her hand.

“Well, I cannot allow that kind of insolence to continue. I’m afraid Ms. James needs to learn some respect.” Cassandra grinned evilly. Jon was taken aback by how ugly she became in her rage. “I suppose she will have to join Sammy tonight at the end of my whip.”

He blanched at her pronouncement. There was no way Jon would allow his mother to dole out any punishment to Carly. Given her anger, he had little doubt Cassandra would strip all the skin off their beloved’s back.

“Actually,” Night answered casually, “I was hoping you’d let
us
punish that little bitch. Uptight prude like that would be a delight to break.” Night mimicked Cassandra’s own nasty smile. Jon marveled at how much his friend suddenly looked like Rex. “I don’t imagine she’s ever been tied up and forced to service two Masters.” Night looked at him, slapping him lightly on the back. “Was that she always so haughty at your school as well?”

He forced a smug laugh and followed Night’s lead, adopting the arrogant, chauvinistic tone. “Dear God, yes. Believe me, the entire school breathed a sigh of relief when she resigned. I’ve often thought a good, hard fuck would cure Carly of her stuck-up attitude.”

Cassandra giggled with glee. “Now, now, boys. Let’s don’t get ahead of ourselves. We haven’t even discussed the possibility of you joining me in this venture.”

Night reacted with enough outrage that Jon wondered who the better performer was—his best friend or Carly.

“Cassandra. Let’s face it. Talented as you are in the dungeon, you can’t run this facility, solicit buyers
and
train the slaves. I’m assuming most of your perspective buyers will be male, so it stands to reason the slaves should be trained by capable Doms. That
is
why you called us back, isn’t it? You said you were in need of trainers. Now, I can’t speak for Jon, but I for one have never looked a gift horse in the mouth. This setup is too good to be true.”

“Night, I am a businesswoman, and I’m sure you’ll understand if, after all these years, I can’t simply offer you my trust without some reassurances. Despite the fact I took you under my wing and cared for you after your dear mother died, I don’t think I would be out of line in asking for perhaps a bit of proof from the two of you that you truly are willing to go the distance in this venture. Let’s call it an act of good faith.”

Although Cassandra was still speaking to Night, Jon could feel her sideways glances at him. Her concerns didn’t seem to rest so much with Night’s loyalty as with his. Their background stories appeared to have done the trick, but he couldn’t stifle the feeling that told him Cassandra could still potentially be setting them up.

“You want us to audition?” Jon asked with disdain. “You know, Mother, you were the one who abandoned
me
. Not the other way around. Perhaps I’m the one who should ask for this so-called proof.”

Cassandra walked over to him and—quick as a striking snake—slapped him forcefully. “You are
never
to call me Mother.” Once again, he watched the fury in her face vanish, only to be replaced with a complete look of serenity that bordered on insanity.

For the first time since entering the room, he got a sense that Cassandra wasn’t nervous or angry—but crazy. Now that he looked closely, he could see the slightly off-kilter glint in her eyes. Great. Cassandra was dangerous enough with
all
her mental faculties fully functioning. The idea that she’d come unhinged only quadrupled her threat to everyone around her.

It also explained her behavior since they’d entered the room. The wavering emotions and contradictory comments. She’d preened over him like a proud Mama, but struck out anytime he called her “Mother”. She’d seemed convinced they would wholeheartedly participate in her scheme and then insisted they prove their loyalty.

Hell, how were they ever going to sort out this mess? What if they gathered up the necessary evidence and Cassandra pleaded insanity once again to escape prison? Shit—this time he suspected the plea would fit.

Night deflected Cassandra’s attention. Jon breathed a sigh of relief when her gaze left him. “So let us train this secretary,” Night said. “If we’re able to make
her
marketable, that should be proof of our loyalty and potential value to this venture.”

His mother giggled maniacally at Night’s offer. Jon saw the same dawning recognition on his friend’s face. Night’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied Cassandra’s bizarre mood swings more closely. He glanced over at him, concern written in his gaze.

“Very well,” she finally replied. “You can punish Carly. Break the bitch’s spirit. Oh, this is wonderful. I’ve so missed watching the two of you in action. You will begin tonight. If you succeed in bringing her down, we’ll discuss your roles in the organization.”

Jon attempted to hedge. “Tonight? Perhaps it would be best if we took a few days to study the setup here. Besides, you’ll need to extract the secretary carefully. She’s only just arrived. It may look suspicious if she turns up missing so suddenly. Plus, we’ll need to return home and pack up some things in order to move in here.”

“Home? No, you mustn’t go home. That isn’t what I’d planned at all. Why didn’t you bring your things with you? I can’t let you leave until I know…”

Jon shook his head. It was impossible to keep up with his mother’s rambling commentary. She appeared to be thinking aloud.

“We didn’t plan to stay. You said nothing on the phone about us moving in here,” he replied. Cassandra started pacing and muttering to herself. Jon could see her struggling to fight against his argument. No doubt she’d hoped to keep them captive here until she was completely sure she could trust them.

“We can leave now and be back before dinner,” Night added when Cassandra continued to ignore them.

Cassandra glanced up as if surprised to find them still in the room. “Before dinner?” Cassie smiled. “Actually, I think perhaps only Night should go. After all, it doesn’t take both of you to pack up a few pieces of clothing.” Apparently Night had passed a test Jon had not.

“Fine,” Jon answered smoothly. “I’d just as soon not make that trip back down the mountain again today. While Night is gone, you can take me on a tour of this so-called center. Show me some of the improvements you’ve made.” Hopefully, he’d be able to get a good enough overview of the place to figure out where Carly was sleeping and working. Tonight, he and Night would begin searching for evidence that would build a case against his mother and, if he was very lucky, he’d find a way to speak with Carly privately.

“Of course,” Cassandra agreed.

Night—who’d been quietly observing—entered the conversation, no doubt attempting to solidify their progress. “How much money are we talking about making here, Cassandra?”

His mother rubbed her hands together. Greed was the one word she seemed to understand—insane or not. Jon saw a gleam of something that looked very much like respect enter her gaze as she focused on Night. “More than you can ever imagine, Night. We’ll be rich beyond our wildest dreams.”