Hope Restrained (Estate Series) (5 page)

Hope rested her head against the wall. “I don’t know. My
arms have gone numb from the chains.”

“Oh, good. We won’t need to drug you then.”

Disbelief crept across Hope’s thoughts. “What the fuck is
wrong with you people? How the fuck are you standing here like a fucking saint
when you’re surrounded by death?!”

The door opened and Xander entered the room carrying a file
in his hand. He looked surprised to find Maddy in the room, but his expression
quickly returned to a blank canvas. Placing the folder on the table, he pushed
it in Maddy’s direction. After packing up the supplies, she took the folder
from the table and thumbed through the contents. Hope couldn’t understand why she
was being treated with such high regard.

“I find it ironic that your name is Hope … especially
considering that you have none.” His voice was amused, yet stern — a
hidden warning within the mocking words.

Her eyes narrowed. “You know my name.
Congratulations
.”

“Actually, I know more than your name.” He leaned back
against the surface of the table, his hands folded in front of him. Maddy put
the folder down and reached up to touch his shoulder. The minute her hand
connected with his body, his expression softened and he turned to look at her.

“Go easy on her, Xander. She’s a woman who finds herself in
the same situation that we all have experienced at one point.”

He smiled at her, taking her hand in his to remove it from
his shoulder. “You shouldn’t be here, Cricket. She’s a lot more dangerous than
you realize.” Looking up, he met Hope’s stare. “Hope is a trained assassin,
aren’t you? I suspected as much based on your behavior, but now I can say
without a doubt who you are.” Looking back at Maddy, he motioned towards the
door. “You should leave. I have a lot to discuss with our guest.”

Maddy silently nodded and left the room. Xander stood and
stalked towards Hope. She noticed a slight limp to his stride and grinned.

“How’s the leg?”

Xander stopped, looking quickly at his leg before glancing
back to her. “It’s better than your shoulder, I’m sure.” A crooked smile peeked
out on his face, his humor evident in the glint to his eye.

Hope didn’t respond, allowing him to approach. Despite being
chained, she wouldn’t relent or accept defeat. Too much weighed on her. Fearing
that the men who took her sister had already learned of her failure, she was
desperate to escape — but if she couldn’t, she wanted to inflict as much
damage as she could on the bastard that stood before her. When Xander had
stepped within range, she pushed off the wall with one foot, kicking out at his
injured leg with the other.

He caught her foot. Angling his head, he grinned
mischievously. His voice sounded like a growl when he teased, “Now, now, Ms.
Delacroix, I’ve already discovered the strength of these …” His eyes burned a
path up her calf and inner thighs. “… long legs of yours.” Tightening his grip,
his fingers dug into the muscle of her calf. Out of reflex, she attempted to
pull away but he tsked.

“I also learned that you have more weapons on you than I’d
expected. Given your profession, I’m not surprised.” Stepping out, he trapped
her other foot with his. Pushing forward he bent her leg up towards her body
causing the muscle in her thigh to burn from the strain. Once he had her
pinned, he used his hands to untie her boot. “I’ll have to perform a more
thorough search to ensure I’m not injured again. I’m sure you understand.”

Contemptuously, Hope laughed. He was pressed so close to
her, she could feel his heat brush across her skin. His cologne wrapped itself
around her senses, mixed with another distinct scent — musk or
sandalwood. Taking shallow breaths, she willed her body calm but noticed that
her heart still beat wildly against the walls of her chest.

Lifting one hand from her leg, he pressed it against the artery
in her throat. “Your pulse is racing. Is it from fear or excitement?” Chuckling,
he returned his hand to her leg, running it up the ankle and calf slowly, his
fingers digging into the muscle as they passed. Despite the shiver the coursed
through her body, she remained blank, expressionless while he performed his
search. Her anger grew to know that he was stripping her of her clothes in an
attempt to strip her of her dignity. She wouldn’t let it work.

Angling her head down, she pressed her forehead to his. “It’s
good to see that my
hopes and dreams
will be fulfilled after all.”

His blue eyes shot to hers and the stubble on his jaw pulled
across his face when he grinned. “I suggest you remain calm,
Sunshine
, we’re just getting started.”

After examining one leg, Xander lowered it, trapping her
foot under his, and bringing her other leg up to remove the boot and search for
additional weapons. Although, he performed this search already while she’d been
passed out, he did so again while she was conscious to show her who held the
control between them.

She scowled at him as he ran his hand up her leg.

He smirked in response.

An assassin. She was a fucking assassin, and one who, for
the most part, had kept her distance from any dealings with The Estate. Xander
couldn’t understand why, now, she chose to attack. The file they had on her
wasn’t thick, but what he did know was that Hope was raised within a much
smaller and less powerful network. The only reason she’d even been noticed was
because of the rumors that if there was someone out there who could compete
against Aaron, it was she. They’d never been able to obtain anything more than
a grainy image, but given her skill, Xander had taken a shot in the dark to
connect this woman to the one discussed in the documents he’d found.

Her name had been familiar to Xander when he’d first
discovered her identity. He’d heard of the woman who, like Aaron, seemingly
enjoyed her profession too much. And he remembered a story about a woman
bathing in the blood of her targets — who could calmly and quietly tear a
man apart without so much as flinching at the act.

“It appears your legs are free of unexpected surprises, but
what about the rest of you?” His blue eyes shot up to look at her, the corner
of his mouth twitching from his attempt to hide a salacious grin.

She rolled her eyes. “Strip me naked and fuck me or shut up.
I’m already tired of your threats.”

He stood up slowly, his eyes searching her face for any sign
of fear … there was nothing. He marveled at her ability to remain so calm and
uncaring about what he’d been doing to her. He hated to admit it to himself,
but he was confused by her lack of concern. “Eager, aren’t you?”

“Remove my chains and I’ll show you just how eager I am.” Shaking
them above her head, she added, “But I can’t do much without my hands.”

He laughed. “How many times has that worked? Obviously, you’re
alive and were previously free to run about … how many times have you fucked
your way out of a tight situation?”

Her eyes blinked slowly, the deep mahogany of her lashes
contrasting sharply with the gold tint of her eyes — but she didn’t
respond.

“Interesting.” Xander realized they both were playing games.
Obviously rape wasn’t a threat, but pain — nobody was willing to endure
that for very long.

With her foot still trapped beneath his and her other leg
held against her body, he reached down to grab the lower shackles. Securing one
around the ankle of her raised leg, he pulled the chain, tightening it so that,
he could secure the other. Once accomplished, he stepped back to look at her
body, now completely immobilized by the chains.

“Have you figured out what this room is yet? Really, it’s
absolute genius on the part of the person who designed it.”

He watched as her eyesight traveled over the walls — her
eyes narrowing to find the system of pulleys and bars.

“You do realize, I can have you in every position I want
without having to release your binds, and there’s not a damn thing you can do
about it. I have no need to risk setting you free.” Walking back to the table
he grabbed a pair of sharp medical scissors from the kit Maddy had left behind.
He stalked back to her, raising up the scissors and receiving no reaction from
her at all. He touched the cold, sharp tip to her skin, dragging it across her,
splitting the skin, a faint pink line welting up and drops of blood welled from
where he’d allow the metal to travel. He expected her to scream, to grimace, or
to reveal some fucking sign that he’d found her weakness. What he didn’t expect
was for her eyes to roll back and for her body to shudder under his touch.

The gold of her eyes shone out at him when she finally lifted
her lids. “Pain won’t work for you either, I’m afraid. What else you got?” He
watched as those words rolled out from between her full lips; her tongue flicking
out to run the crease of her mouth, her pupils dilating in response to the
pain.

“Fuck. You are exquisite.” He couldn’t help his growled
outburst. Her reaction was, quite possibly, the most erotic thing he’d
witnessed.

He stepped back, completely knocked off balance by the seeping
desire within his mind and body. She was his enemy, a woman who’d attempted to
kill the only people he cared about — but, she was unlike any woman he’d
ever come across. His curiosity was peaked and his pants tightened despite his
hatred towards her.

Suddenly torn between needing information and wanting to
sink his cock deep inside her, he stood motionless except for the movement of
his eyes across her body. “I’m not sure whether I should fuck you or kill you. Either
way, I believe you would enjoy it.”

“The second part, maybe.” Her eyes narrowed, her voice was
breathless. “But I don’t enjoy being fucked by a man so pathetic he needs a
woman to be tied up to do so.”

He smiled, a dimple popping out on his chin from the motion.
“Oh, I do appreciate my women bound, but that’s only if they request it.”

She rolled her eyes again and allowed her head to fall back
against the wall behind her. Her chest pushed out from the position and his
eyes caressed the places where he wanted his hands to travel. Shaking himself
of his lust, he asked, “I know who you are now, but what I can’t understand is
why, after so many years of avoiding The Estate, why, now, do you not only
attack, but come onto the compound to do so. The only reason I can imagine is
that you were hired. Tell me who sent you, and I’ll end this quickly.”

“Beg. Maybe if I see you on your knees, I’ll feel a little
more giving.” Her words were becoming more strained and he noticed the erratic
movement of her chest with her labored breath. He surmised that it was the
position in which she was held. He knew that given enough time with their arms
held above their head, a person would begin to struggle to inflate their lungs
and drag in the air that they needed.

He walked over to the levers and lowered the position of the
chains so that her arms were held out to her sides instead of above her head
— still tight enough to restrain movement, but not as tortuous as the previous
position. Looking down, he noticed the puddle of blood that pooled beneath her,
the smooth surface disturbed each time a crimson drop fell. Her shoulder had
started bleeding again from the movement of her arm. Between the loss of blood,
lack of water and difficulty to breathe, it was obvious she was fighting to
remain conscious.

“We’ll need to fix your shoulder.” He spoke slowly, noticing
that she only appeared to partially understand what he was saying, her head
rolled slightly atop her shoulders and he grew concerned. “I’ll return shortly.”

Quickly exiting the room, he traveled the corridors in
search of Maddy and Aaron. Finding them in their quarters, he looked between
the concerned look on Maddy’s face and Aaron’s typical blank expression.

His words were urgent. “We won’t get very far with her if we
don’t do something about her shoulder. She’s bleeding badly.”

“Again?” Maddy’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Aaron immediately looked down at her, rage brushing across
the green of his eyes. “You were in there? What were you thinking?!”

She spoke quietly when she confessed, “I know. Xander
explained her profession to me, but she was chained. There was no way she could
have hurt me.”

Looking up at Xander, Aaron’s expression became murderous.
Stalking forward he stopped just inches from where Xander stood. Xander rolled
his shoulders back, not allowing Aaron to intimidate him. Aaron’s words were
spoken slowly, menacingly when he asked, “What the fuck do I care about her
injury? I’m sure it won’t be a problem once she’s ash! What does bother me,
however, is that you allowed Maddy anywhere near her!”

Breathing out an annoyed sigh, Xander responded, “I went to
see if I could find any information on her from the files kept in Joseph’s
office. Maddy snuck in when I wasn’t in the room.” He glared at Aaron until
finally, Aaron backed down. “I found her name and some information regarding
her origins and network, but not much. She’s definitely the woman about which
you’d heard rumors. However, until now, she’d been careful to keep her
distance. I want to know why, now, she decides to attack. We need her to tell
us her purpose for being here. She may have been hired and now that she’s been
caught, I’m certain there will be more sent.”

Aaron stepped back. “Who would be so stupid or mad to attack
us at our own compound?”

“You said it earlier, Aaron. We would be the first targets
of any potential attacks. Lately, none of us have left the compound. Where else
would they have the chance?”

When it didn’t appear that his argument had helped to sway
his friend, Xander continued to press on. “I need more time with her. She’s not
as easily broken as most. She’s all but demanded that I rape her and pain only
serves to turn her on.”

A brow arched over the green of Aaron’s eye and he smirked. “That
would make your job more difficult, I imagine.”

Xander’s resultant laughter was a short burst. “Yeah, she
reminds me of the bastard I grew up with, maybe you know him.”

“Shit.” Aaron cursed under his breath and walked to the bar.
Grabbing the crystal decanter, he poured himself a glass of scotch, choking it
down quickly before pouring another. Maddy sat quietly on the couch, her
attention on the two men. When she finally spoke, they turned their faces
toward her.

“It would take threatening a person she loved. But, even
then, she might be able to ignore something as loathsome as that if it serves
her purpose.” Looking directly at Aaron, she commented, “You were able to watch
your father almost rape me, you were able to whip me to the point where my skin
split open and you were able to kill indiscriminately in front of me … may have
killed me, if it was ordered. If she’s as determined in her task as you were in
yours, I’m not sure that there is anything that will force her to talk.”

Aaron visibly flinched from the reminder of Maddy’s presentations.
“But I acted eventually, the alliance wasn’t even fully prepared …”

“Only when the thing you were losing became more valuable
than the task you were hoping to accomplish,” she interrupted.

“I’m not following you, Maddy.” Aaron walked towards her,
Xander following closely behind.

“She’s like you, Aaron. I picked up on it almost immediately
when I walked into that room. I know the look of fear, of pain and suffering; she
had none. There was no emotion in her at all. You were like that once as well,
but as soon as I brought out even a small amount of emotion in you, I became
more important than your desire to destroy Joseph.”

Xander’s jaw dropped when he realized what Maddy was saying.
“You want me to seduce her to get the information? She just tried to kill the
man you love and you’re suggesting that I should bring her some fucking roses? That’s
insane, Cricket.”

Her head swiveled in his direction. “Is it? How well has
threatening her worked out for you? Some people are more willing to talk if you
give them something they like rather than fighting against them.” She nodded
her head to indicate in Aaron’s direction and winked. Aaron scowled behind her.

Xander grinned. It always amused him when the lion bared her
claws; so much strength for such a tiny person. Returning his attention to
Aaron, he continued, “Regardless of the methods I employ, my point is that I
need more time if you want information from her. However, if you want her death
to be immediate, I’ll return now and take care of the problem.”

“Take more time, Xander. I trust that you know what you’re
doing.” Aaron’s words were exasperated.

Xander nodded. “Then I’ll need some assistance in repairing
the damage to her shoulder.”

“Call Adair. His unit should have more than enough drugs to
knock her out. I’ll assist you so that you can retrieve the bullet and sew up
the wound.”

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Xander responded, “I’ll
make the call.”