Hope Restrained (Estate Series) (4 page)

Nodding his understanding, Xander strode across the room
towards the door.

“Do those methods include rape?”

He stopped, his head dropping before he slowly turned to
look at Maddy. Her eyes were red from unshed tears.

Aaron reached out, pulling her towards him. Tipping her chin
up, he looked at her for a few seconds before responding. “Maddy, she’s not
like you. She’s like us. You need to recognize that. We’ll do whatever we have
to do to keep you safe. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but it can be an
effective method of breaking a person down.”

“Are men raped as well?” The incredulity in her tone was
surprising.

“I can tell you that Xander and I have not participated in
that type of method; but, I can’t say that I haven’t heard of it being done.”

Her head fell against his chest and Aaron wrapped his arms
around her to comfort her. Aaron spoke again just before Xander left to return
to the holding cell.

“I’m sorry, Maddy. We are not good men.”

It felt like her shoulder was on fire when Hope woke. Her
head pounded where she had been struck and her wrists stung from where they’d
been cut by the metal shackles. She knew instantly that she was in a cell of
some sort, a prisoner of The Estate.

Shaking away her disorientation, she slid her feet across
the ground so that she could push up on her toes to remove the strain from her
arms. Her head fell back against the wall when her bodyweight was better
supported. Opening her eyes, she strained to see in the dark. Above her, was a
glass domed roof, the moon and stars of the night sky clearly visible and
providing enough illumination that she could make out the small table in the
center of the room and an elaborate system of chains that ran across the walls.

Her heart tapped against the inside of her chest, slowly,
rhythmically, as she forced herself to not panic — to remain clear headed
despite her situation. When she could put her full weight on her toes, she tugged
on the shackles, the movement sending a sharp wave of pain down her arms. Her
body shuddered at the sensation. Since she’d been young, she reacted to pain
differently than most people — she’d enjoyed it. Not so much the
sensation of the pain itself, but the rush that coursed through her body afterwards.
It caused her heart to pound a little harder and her skin to tingle as if from
a lover’s touch. It numbed her, but also made her feel alive, human — not
the pragmatic machine she’d been trained to be.

A small click echoed through the room just before the door
opened. Light flooded in from the hallway and Hope clenched her eyes when it
washed across her face.

“Oh good. You’re awake.”

She could tell immediately from the voice that it was the
man from the hallway. The door shut and she peeked open her eyes to see his
outline standing near the door. Even in the darkness of the room, he was an
intimidating presence. He was wide in his shoulders, but his waistline was
thin. The material of his shirt bunched around the defined muscle of his arm
and he stood with his hands folded behind his back, his feet parted to shoulder
width. His hair and complexion were dark, but his eyes … those were caught in
the moonlight and they shone out, a brilliant sapphire blue.

“I’d ask how you’re feeling, however, I’m sure I already
have a good idea.” He slowly walked forward, the sounds of his boots against
the stone ground echoing louder with each approaching step. “You’re lucky you’re
still alive. Under normal circumstances, Aaron would have removed your head for
a stunt like that. The only reason you are still breathing is because I need to
know why you’re here.”

He stopped when he stood a few feet from her. “Now, are we
going to play nice, or does this have to be painful.”

She didn’t even flinch at his implied threat. She’d been
raised to endure whatever torture he could inflict. They’d called it a gift
— her penchant for pain, and they’d nurtured it so that it would benefit
Hope when she fought or in case of capture.

Inching closer, he held her stare. “What is your name and,
more importantly, why did you just attempt to kill Aaron Carmichael?” She could
see his muscles tighten, rage settling across his shoulders when he’d moved
within inches of her. Raising his arms, he placed a hand on the wall by each
side of her face.

A shiver ran down her spine, but she shook it off and
silently turned her head to break eye contact. She felt his hand wrap itself
within her hair and pull.

“Answer me!” His nostrils flared, the heat of his enraged
command brushing across her cheek. Her scalp burned where her hair was knotted
in his fist.

She winced in reaction to the pain, hissing when he pulled
her face to his.

He stared at her for several minutes, his eyes darting over
her features, memorizing each shadow on her skin. She held still, desperately
attempting to steady the beat of her heart, to deny him any sign of fear.

Pushing off the wall, he distanced himself. Folding his hands
at his back, he paced the length of the room. When he finally stopped, he
turned to her with a smile adorning his face.

“You’re well trained. I’ll give you that.” Slowly, he
stepped towards her, his movement graceful as a prowling tiger. “But, I’m sure
there are ways to make you speak.”

His finger flicked up to run along her jawline, down her
neck and along the center of her chest, stopping just above where the leather intersected
between her breasts.

She wasn’t surprised by his first implied threat. If nothing
else, she could rely on a man’s loyalty to his cock. However, she was glad for
him to have made it.

She cleared her throat, preparing to play a role that had
bought her freedom many times before. “Like what you see?” She smiled when his
shocked eyes rose to her face. “Unchain me and we can work something out.” She
hated this game, but it had been useful in escaping other situations. She never
went far with any man, just enough to get him to free her of her binds. All of
the men died within seconds of making that mistake.

He leaned into her, the stubble of his chin rubbing against
her temple. Whispering, he teased, “You’d like that wouldn’t you?” He pushed
away again, moving to the table in the center of the room to sit against it. “Unfortunately
for you, I’m well taken care of in that department. I’m sorry to crush your
hopes and dreams, but I’ll decline.” He smirked at her.

She didn’t respond, refusal a blanket across the thoughts
she couldn’t reveal. Allowing her eyes to roam over the empty walls of the room
in which she was held, Hope wouldn’t allow herself to look at his face. He was
handsome, a fact that could not be argued, but he was also the person
preventing her from returning to that other bastard’s house. They would kill
her sister, would destroy the only person she’d admired in her life and she
couldn’t allow that to happen.

Her eyes shot back to him when he spoke.

“Tell me your name.”

She stared at him, her lip curling in rebellion and disgust.
“What does my name matter?”

“It doesn’t.” With a blank expression, his words were spoken
with a matter of fact tone. “However, the identity of the person who sent you
does.”

“And what makes you so sure I was sent by someone? Maybe I’ve
simply heard the rumors that Aaron Carmichael has become his father. Or, maybe
it’s simply time for The Estate to be destroyed along with the evil that
created it.”

He smiled, his voice booming when he responded, “You’re an assassin.
That much is obvious!” Reaching up, he rubbed at his jaw where she’d hit him. “No
woman hits like that and hasn’t been trained.”

A humorless laugh broke free of her throat. “Growing up in
the shadow of The Estate is enough incentive for all women to be trained. Do
you think nobody knows what goes on here? We notice the disappearance of our families,
our friends. We can smell the bodies as they’re burned.”

He smiled. “You’ve done your homework. Congratulations.” Mockery
weighed down his last word. He paused, his eyes twinkling as they moved over
her. The timbre of his voice deepened when he calmly stated, “I can promise
you, I will discover who you are, and while I’m at it, I’ll also discover who
the fuck sent you. If you make my life easier by giving up the information now,
I’ll make sure you are no longer breathing when you become one of those burning
bodies.”

She was amused by his threat. “You can set me on fire right
here, big guy, and end this bullshit game right now.” She winked. “I’ll never
tell you a fucking thing.”

His chair flipped backwards when he stood, the thick wood
striking the ground loudly as it fell. Within a second he was across the room,
the tip of his nose pressed to hers. His hand squeezed her cheeks painfully
from where he’d grabbed her face to force her eyes in his direction.

“We will find a way to make you talk — as soon as I
find out who the fuck you are.” Slamming her head back so that it hit the wall,
he turned and exited the room swiftly, leaving her chained. Her skin burned
along her face from where he’d grabbed her. The room was silent except for the
sound of rain hitting the glass ceiling of the circular room. She looked up,
her eyes taking in the darkness of the night sky. The stars were no longer visible
and the moonlight barely breached the clouds.

When the door opened again, Hope slowly looked down and
found that the woman from the hallway had entered. She was surprised, but kept
her expression blank. The pain in her shoulder had finally gone numb, and the
blood stopped flowing due to her arms being held above her head.

“I want to see if we can remove the bullet from your
shoulder.” Her voice was melodic, soft, but carrying a hint of strength
unexpected of a woman so small.

Hope looked her over, noticing how she’d changed from the
red dress into black pants and a simple green shirt. Their hair was similar in
color, but, whereas Hope was tall and thin, this woman was short but curved in
every place that mattered.

“I didn’t think you’d be much of a talker.” The woman sat
down where Xander had previously sat. “I wasn’t much of one either when I first
arrived, so I can understand — although I’m sure it is for far different
reasons.”

Hope studied the woman’s face. Even though it had been
years, she recognized her. “You’re the musician who went missing. I saw you on
the news for days. I figured you were as good as dead when they found nothing
except for a rose left in the parking lot outside of the theater.”

The woman smiled. “I’m surprised they left the rose behind. That
sounds a bit sloppy for Joseph.” She let out a faint sigh, “And yes, at one
time, I was her. But that was years ago and things change.”

Hope had to keep the woman talking in case there was a
chance she could play on her sympathies. “What did they do to you?”

Her blues eyes blinked and she smiled. “To whom are you
referring? Aaron and Xander, or The Estate as a whole?”

“Is there a difference?” Hope’s voice dripped with the
hatred she felt. She’d lived her entire life fearing The Estate’s reach. Living
in shadows, she’d been careful not to draw the attention of its members. Somehow,
despite her efforts, it found her anyway.

“My name is Maddy, by the way.” She smiled warmly. There was
nothing but kindness in her eyes as she reached for a box on the table.

“And this is where I’m supposed to be polite and tell you
mine?”

“Not if you don’t want to. Xander will find that out. He’s
very resourceful. I’m only here to remove the lead from your body. We’d hate
for you to get an infection. Aaron is particular about that.”

“He likes to keep his slaves healthy?” Hope laughed. “That’s
new.”

The woman’s eyes flicked up from the supplies she was
gathering for a brief second. A blush fell across her cheeks from an unspoken
thought. Eventually, after seemingly gathering what she required, she looked up
again. “You’re not being kept as a slave.”

She stood from the table and crossed the distance,
antiseptic and a cloth held in her hands. “I’m going to clean you up first,
then we’ll see what we can do about the bullet.”

“Surgery will be difficult, don’t you think?” She shook the
chains. “Given that I’m chained and all.”

The woman angled her head when she asked, “Would you like me
to remove them?”

Suspicion tore through Hope’s body at the suggestion. She
wouldn’t kill the woman if freed, but she would silence her in order to escape.
Playing on Maddy’s sympathies, she responded, “Yes, please. I’m afraid of what
they will do to me, afraid that they’ll …” She let her eyes fall, desperate to
appear scared and nonthreatening. Looking up again, she continued, “… I’m
afraid they’ll hurt me or rape me. Please help me get free.”

Straightening her head on her shoulders, Maddy took a few
more steps, smiled and shrugged. “No problem. I’ll ask Xander for the key when
I’m done cleaning you up.” Another smile.

Hope’s shock turned to frustration. “He’ll never give them
to you.”

“I know, but if you’re going to make impossible demands, I’ll
offer impossible responses.” She looked up into Hope’s eyes. “I’m not stupid. I’ve
lived in this place for three years. Don’t you think I would have learned by now
how your kind operates?” She pulled the coat away from Hope’s shoulder to
inspect and clean the wound.

Hope flinched from the sting of the antiseptic on her skin,
but stood still, allowing Maddy to tend to the wound. The bullet hadn’t struck
anything vital, but infection would render her arm useless. She needed her body
to heal if she had any chance of escape.

“I’d ask why you attempted to kill Aaron, but I think I have
a pretty good idea. Not many people would attempt the executioner’s life. You’re
very brave — or stupid.”

Hope looked down, confusion furrowed her brows and her eyes
narrowed on Maddy. “You sound like you like it here. I saw how you touched him
in the hall. You must be the type who likes being treated like a disposable
toy.”

Maddy chuckled. She continued cleaning Hope’s skin when she
responded, “It doesn’t matter what I like, only what he likes.”

Rolling her eyes, Hope suddenly recognized the weak spirit
in front of her: completely pliable and easily conquered.

It was almost like Maddy knew what Hope had been thinking. “You
remind me of him. Your darkness, I recognize the hatred and the rage. I wouldn’t
be surprised to find that you enjoy your kills as much as he enjoys his. People
like you need someone to look out for you, to pull you back from whatever black
depth to which you’ve fallen. It would be a futile task if that person didn’t
use something that brought you joy, don’t you think?” She looked pointedly at Hope
but then smiled softly. “There. You’re clean, however I don’t think I’ll be
able to remove the bullet without assistance. Does your arm hurt?”