Hope Restrained (Estate Series) (14 page)

“You were trained as a child?”

She shrugged. “My mother died and my father was part of the
network. He didn’t know what to do with me, couldn’t handle my moods after she
died, so he allowed them to train me — figured out that it was the only
thing that would calm me down. A female assassin was an asset, I could sneak in
more places, be less noticeable.”

“You are anything but less noticeable.” He grinned.

“Says the man whose guard was shot dead beside him,” she
teased. “If Aaron hadn’t moved to catch Maddy, it would have been him.”

“I would have killed you for it — would have never
given you a chance to so much as blink before putting a bullet in your head. Aaron
is my brother.”

She was startled, never hearing that Joseph had two sons. “I
thought Aaron was an only child, the only heir of The Estate.”

A humorless laughed escaped him. “I was … adopted.” She felt
his body tense suddenly, anger and bitter thoughts settling beneath his skin. “I’ve
lived at The Estate since I was four.”

She grieved to hear his admission. Looking up at his face, a
beam of light broke through the entrance of the cave, finally illuminating his
eyes. The memories and pain she saw hidden behind their depths was familiar
— a pain much like her own.

“You didn’t grow cold.”

The small bit of light, disappeared behind vines blown
across the entrance by the wind. Bathed in shadow again, he was quiet for a
moment before responding. “I watched Aaron struggle most of my life with his
anger, with a darkness that existed inside him. When he sinks to it, he wants
nothing more than to kill, to bathe in the blood of the men he destroyed. I
remained grounded to keep him grounded.”

“I don’t know why you cared. All I’ve wanted is death and
escape from this nightmare world. The cities were overrun by crime and my
friends disappeared every week. My sister — Honor — she begged our
father to get us away from here, to move some place not overshadowed by The
Estate. He would never leave, the streets were all he knew.”

He didn’t respond immediately, but when he spoke again, Hope
was surprised by his whispered confession. “We intend to destroy it — The
Estate. It’s destroyed us all in some way or another.”

“We?”

“Aaron, Madeleine and me.” After letting out a frustrated
breath, he continued, “The Estate is more than just a network; it’s evil
incarnate — a living, breathing part of the man who created it. It is as
much Joseph’s child as Aaron, and even after Joseph’s death, it continues to
teem with the corruption he spread. Almost every man has been infected with his
blood lust, with the power hungry rage that he demanded of the men who served
him. It’s only since Aaron took control that the worst of the depravities
ceased.”

“Yet, they never truly stopped as you’d believed. My sister
is proof of that.” She felt the fury she’d been pushing back over the past few
days begin to resurface. “If they’ve killed her …”

He placed a finger over her mouth. “If they’ve killed her,
then she is lucky. I know the practices taught to these men. Joseph always
ensured Aaron and I had a front row seat to witness just how horrifying he
could be.”

The lump that formed in her throat stole her ability to
swallow down what he’d claimed. “If she is dead, I’ll die as well. She was what
‘grounded’ me.”

His smile was barely visible in the low light of the space. “No,
my tortured beauty, I won’t let that happen. If she is gone, then I will just have
to hold on to you and Aaron both.”

He leaned down to kiss her, the brush of his lips feather
light against hers. It was intimate, affection based on some feeling other than
lust or need. It caused her muscles to fall languid beneath her skin and her
head to swim with emotions she’d never wanted to feel. His touch was his
acceptance of her hatred of herself — his understanding of her needs at a
level no person had known her before. He deepened the kiss, his hands running
over her, his masterful fingers making it impossible for her to resist. He was her
tormentor and protector, her captivity and freedom. She could, for once, let go
of her need to fight, to seek pain just to bask in the comforting numbness that
came with it. What he gave her, what he did to awaken and bring to life her
body and mind, was more exhilarating than anything she’d known before.

It was hours that he took her over, rendering her completely
docile to his whims. She became lost within him, waking up from the haze for
brief moments, only to have him kiss her, or nip at her skin and replace her
back where she was sated and satisfied. He connected with her, like a puzzle
piece finally finding it’s match. A man who enjoyed granting small bits of pain
and a woman who needed it to feel like she was alive.

After taking her to a place where she could be free of the
pain and heartache of her life, where she could forget about fighting and
conquest and despair, Xander wrapped his body around her and she fell asleep
listening to the strong and rhythmic beat of his heart against his chest.

Sunlight streamed into the depth of the cave, the shadows of
leaves moving within an angry wind that danced across the skin of their naked
bodies. Xander pushed up, his bones aching from sleeping on the ground. After
releasing the cuff that bound him to Hope, he stretched his arms above him,
popping his joints into place and dressing quickly. His eyes flicked over to Hope,
her tan skin stretched taut over lean and toned muscles. He’d take her again
quickly if it weren’t for the shadow of a man stretched out across the
entrance.

Walking out, blue collided with angry green when he locked
his stare to Aaron’s.

“I’m not even sure what to say to you,
brother
. You’ve chosen to fuck the enemy, the remnants of your
loyalty left inside the bitch. Was it worth it?”

Xander didn’t flinch, he’d known Aaron for too long to
believe Aaron truly wanted him dead. Rolling his shoulders back he replied, “If
you wanted to kill me, I wouldn’t be standing here right now. Why wait for me
to face you when you could have easily cut our throats while we slept?” He kept
his voice calm and bored, knowing full well the man before him was one wrong
word away from tearing his head from his shoulders.

Aaron’s expression remained blank and his shoulders relaxed
even though a blade still spun over his hand. “I take it you assumed Maddy
would convince me not to kill Hope; or that I wouldn’t remember the location of
the only available hiding place on the compound?”

Xander nodded, also relaxing to realize that Aaron’s initial
threat had been partly in warning. “She’s not lying to you. I have no way of
proving it, but I know there’s more going on than we realize.”

Sunlight flashed off the steel of Aaron’s blade. He flicked
it in his hand once more, before, placing it in the sheath at his back. “After
talking with Maddy last night, I went through some papers in the office for a
period of time to consider the situation more thoroughly. When I noticed that
the house she indicated was one that took on the sex trade members after that
unit was brought down, it caught my attention.”

“I came to that conclusion last night as well.” The tension
eased over Xander’s body to realize that Aaron was finally thinking clearly.

The two men stared at each other for a few quiet moments
before Aaron broke the silence. “I’m still angry that you went against a direct
order; especially one that involved a potential threat. Regardless of whatever
the two of you have been doing, she remains a threat — at least until we
can determine the absolute truth to her claim.”

“I’ve kept her bound and have been careful not to allow her
to run loose over the compound.” He paused, looking towards the cave before
returning his attention to Aaron.

“There is a warehouse used by the members of the house Hope
identified. If there is something going on, and if they have the women she
claimed they had, then I suspect the warehouse could be where they would have
taken them.”

Aaron’s entire body tensed suddenly and his eyes locked to
the cave. Turning quickly, Xander looked to find Hope standing in the entrance,
her face concealed by the shadow from the vines. Pushing them aside to step
out, the metallic gold of her eyes met with the unrelenting sunlight. The chain
was still around her neck and she had redressed in the shirt and sweat pants
Xander had given her. Her eyes locked to Aaron.

Stepping towards her, Xander grabbed the cuff still attached
to her wrist and commented, “As you can see, she is still being treated with
caution.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t kill you in your sleep.”

Xander turned back to Hope.

She shrugged. “I figured it was your network that got me
into this mess, it would be your network to get me out. Who else would be able
to help me now that they’ve moved my sister?”

“Is that the only reason?” Xander’s question was spoken low,
barely loud enough for even Hope to hear what he’d asked. She looked up at him,
some unknown emotion softening her expression.

She didn’t respond before Aaron spoke again. “We’ll search
the warehouse.” He looked at Hope, suspicion still burning behind the green of
his eyes. “The man who sent you, what did he look like?”

Hope eyed him back, the same suspicion swirling within her
eyes. “Tall, maybe your height, brown hair, broad shoulders — very built.
In fact, he was one of the largest men I’ve seen. He also spoke with the same
bullshit affluent accent that you use.”

Xander attempted to suppress the same grin that Aaron was
unable to hide. “Yes, well, there’s nothing wrong with conducting yourself with
a bit of decorum, despite what you do for a living. Joseph took issue with
those he considered uneducated and common
street
trash
.”

Xander’s eyes locked to Aaron, narrowing at the obvious
insult he’d just volleyed at Hope. Glancing back at Hope, he noticed she smiled
brightly.

“This coming from the man who slaughtered his own father? Seems
to me, whereas he had you educated, he failed to teach you respect. In my
network, we protect the ones we care for …”

“I never said I cared for him.” Aaron interrupted. “Besides,
I am not the person who can take credit for Joseph’s death.”

Hope’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Then who?” She turned to
look at Xander.

He held up his hands. “I’m innocent as well, although I won’t
say I wouldn’t have done it if he wasn’t already dead by the time I got to him.”

“Madeleine killed Joseph with a broken string from her
instrument.”

When Aaron added that bit of information, Hope turned back
to him, her eyes widening in surprise. “She seems harmless. How is that even
possible? From what I heard, Joseph died fighting. In fact, the rumors of his
death indicate he died in battle against you.”

“Then I will need to get information out to correct that
belief. I’d prefer people know he died as a result of his drug addiction, that
he left himself helpless to a small musician. I prefer people understand how anticlimactic
his death really was. He doesn’t deserve the death of a warrior.”

Hope nodded her understanding. “Do you recognize the man I
described?”

Xander spoke in Aaron’s place. “Was there anything else
unusual about him? The description fits several men in the network, we’ll need
something to narrow it down.”

“Besides the fact that he had my sister on a chain?”

Xander arched an eyebrow at her response, but she didn’t
notice. She appeared to be thinking back, searching the recesses of her memory
to pinpoint details that would be of use. “He had one green eye and one blue. I
can’t be completely sure on that considering how dark the house was when I was
in there, but I’m pretty sure that’s what I saw.”

Xander looked at Aaron who, at the same time, swiveled his
head to look back. Their eyes locked in immediate recognition. Turning back to
Hope, Xander asked, “Would you be able to identify him from a photograph?”

She nodded ‘yes’.

“Have you called off the search for us, Aaron?” Returning
his attention to his friend, Xander began to formulate an idea. Unfortunately,
it was one that would be almost impossible to pull off, but not entirely;
especially if he and Hope were still considered to be enemies of The Estate.

“No.”

“Don’t call it off. Let’s return to the mansion, I want to
show Hope some photos in your suite. We’ll need to sneak in. I want the entire
network believing that we are still within your crosshairs, so to speak.”

Obviously understanding where Xander was going with his
request, Aaron didn’t ask questions before responding, “I’ll have Maddy claim
to have seen you near the front of the compound, when the guards leave to
investigate, we’ll sneak into the building.”

Aaron looked at the cave, something unfamiliar flitting
across his expression, before he took a few steps towards the entrance. Hope
backed away, still not completely sure that Aaron didn’t intend to harm her. Speaking
over his shoulder, he mused, “Do you remember when we came here as kids? We’d
fight the dragon that lived here until we could steal his precious treasure
chest.” He chuckled. “How pathetic that all it contained was a blanket and
miscellaneous junk.” Parting the vines with his hands, he entered the cave and
Xander moved to follow behind him.

He watched Aaron approach the trunk before kneeling down to
examine it. “Apparently, our old treasure came in handy. I’m surprised you
slept on that thing. There’s no telling how old it was when we first found it,
not to mention the twenty years or so since we did.”

Xander shrugged. “It was better than sleeping in the dirt.”

Hope stepped up beside Xander, recognition apparent in her
expression. “Where did you get that trunk?”

“We found it hidden in a crevice over in the wall. It was
hidden behind vines, why?”

“Because it looks like it was made by one of the founders of
my network. He’s since died, but only members received one. Would you mind if I
examined it further?”

Xander and Aaron looked at each other, but then Aaron
stepped away from it, extending his hand. “Be my guest.”

She approached the trunk, pulling out the miscellaneous
clothing and other odds and ends it contained — all of which would have
been useful to a person camping or surviving off the land. Xander found it odd
when she knocked on the bottom of it and smiled.

“Just as I thought, it has a false bottom.” She pulled at
something within the trunk and reached in. Extracting a journal, she flipped it
over in her hand, tracing something on the back of it with her finger. “Who’s
Connor?”

Aaron stepped towards her and Hope was on her feet facing
him within seconds. They looked at each other, distrust hanging heavily between
them. Eventually, Aaron slowly extended his hand. “May I see the journal?”

Hope looked surprised that he would ask instead of demand that
she hand it to him. Taking from her hand, Aaron flipped through the pages
quickly, but stopped when something caught his attention that was stuck between
the pages. Pulling it free and unfolding it, he turned it over and his entire
body tensed in reaction to what he saw.

Xander stepped forward. “What is it?”

Looking up slowly, Aaron reached over to hand the scrap of
paper to Xander. “It’s a picture of my mother, I believe.”

Xander took the sketch and froze as Aaron did to see it. Drawn
in pencil, the sketch was almost the exact likeness of Aaron’s mother, at least
as much as Xander could remember from when they were young. Handing it back, he
watched Aaron carefully fold the picture back over itself and place it in the
journal. “We won’t be able to carry the trunk back with us if we hope to enter
the building unnoticed, but I’ll keep the journal to look over later.”

Xander moved to pack the blanket and other items back in the
trunk before sliding it back into the crevice hidden by the thick curtain of
vines. “Let’s get going.”

Hope cleared her throat to get Xander’s attention. Holding
up the leash, she asked, “Can we remove my chains now that we are all friends?”

He smiled mischievously. “I’m not sure about that, I kind of
like it.”

Her gold eyes heated, memories dancing behind the metallic
color. “I didn’t say we should throw it away.”

Xander chuckled and Aaron groaned. “I’ll leave you two to
discuss … your arrangement. I’m going to head back now to move the guards. I
want you to hide within the tree line until you see the guards leave. Once that
happens, move quickly to my suite. I’m not sure how long you’ll have to make it
inside unseen.”