KING (Mistress & Master of Restraint) (36 page)

Olivia
huffs an unfeminine sound- a snort accented in French. “Daniel?” She snorts again. “No way,” she chokes on a laugh. “Sometimes I think he’s an imbecile. I told him about what I’d heard. He was too excited that their plans would benefit him- doofus. I haven’t protected my children for as long as I have to involve them both in a plot. What kind of mother would do that?”

The sting strikes me in the heart. My mother was a self-serving bitch. If I ever meet the woman, I’ll turn my back and walk away.

“No mother,” I whisper, “At least, not a real one, anyway.” I can’t believe that Olivia is a better mother than mine.

“Will you answer me this?”

“Try me, I might surprise you,” she offers.

“Is Bianca your foundation?”
I quietly ask. I focus on my pups. Wicked and Vixen share a stick they found a few days ago. They lie on their bellies, each gnawing on an end.

“She is
,” Olivia answers without hesitation. “So… these… animals are my grandchildren,” she snidely says. “I thought I’d get something less… four-legged.”

“
Shit,” I hiss. “You agree with Grandfather. Get that shit out of your head, Olivia. Dalton wouldn’t agree, either.”

“Don’t be so sure,” she arrogantly purrs. “Gay or not, men exist to procreate. There is no greater joy than seeing your child. It’s the only time you truly own another creature. Your dogs are your pets, not your children. A child is yours forever, even if they leave you. You run within their very blood.”

“Drop it,” I growl.

“Dropped,” Olivia concedes, “for now.”

“Do you know who Bianca’s contact is?” If Olivia answered one question, maybe she’ll answer another. I might as well chance it. Plus, I’d do anything to get off this topic of conversation.

“That I do not know. It is uncommon for us to share t
hat information, but the Elders thought it necessary that Daniel, Diane, and I worked together. I can tell you that Anthony was supposed to be the Green contact, but unfortunately he died before that came to fruition.”

“I asked her-”

“And Bianca wouldn’t tell you. I’m not surprised. I’m sure her enforcer is… violent.”

“Who’s yours?”

“I’m currently without one. As I said, if you behave, you’re left alone. You could go decades without seeing one… or forever. It’s not until you disobey or fail that they come into your lives. Enforcers are few and they control us all.”

“Jon-”

“Absolutely. Since my father was near the top of the pyramid, Jon was more security and watchdog than an enforcer. Pierre and Jon were similar in their tastes of… evil. Dalton was of great interest after he took out their top enforcer and one of their top players. That is the real reason I had him take a new identity. I knew they found him when the contracts where placed on his life. Contracts for all of his aliases: Dalton Thompson, Fontaine, and Marconi. I moved here to protect him. Believe it or not, Dalton’s involvement with you removed him as a threat.”

“What do you mean?”
My voice breaks from fear. I never want to see Dalton hurt. I’ve been worrying about myself and my family. I was so self-absorbed that it didn’t occur to me to worry about Dalton.

“We obey because they hold things over on us. My children
have kept me in line by paying the ultimate price when I don’t do as I’m told. Losing Dalton would’ve greatly upset me, but they still had Spyder to use against me. You- they saw that Dalton was important to you too. Now he can be used against the both of us. One threat affects two people. Dalton is no longer a nuisance, but an asset.”

“Great,” sarcastically spills between my clenched teeth.

“Actually, it is. Don’t ever forget that safety and security are more important than morals and ethics. I will leave you to your pets. Keep me abreast of any new information that comes your way and I will do the same with you.”

That deafening clang I hear inside my mind is of a door to the past slamming shut while another one blows open. This new course is enemies forming an alliance out of mutual survival. Olivia is no longer my enemy because we share a common goal: Dalton.

When one door closes, another opens…

~Chapter Thirty-Two~

“Jesus Christ,
it’s cold out here,” I groan, teeth chattering as I shiver in my terrycloth bathrobe. The Maze’s towering hedge is menacing in the shadowy night. When the wind blows, it rustles the leaves, giving off a spooky
ooowwww
sound. It’s like a ghost is out here in the Maze with us. The moonlight breaking through the gray storm clouds is adding to the ominous environment. It’s perfect for this time of year, just not perfect for standing around in your nightclothes. 

“What do you expect,” Ezra irritably responds,
sick of listening to me bitch about this stupid-ass plan of his. “It’s Halloween in New York State. Count your blessings, it could be snowing.”

“Yeah, there is that
,” I sarcastically mumble, pulling the lapels of my robe tighter. “I think it’s too cold to snow, if you can believe that.”

“Daniel?”
I wait for Ezra to punch me in the face for bitching again. He already warned me twice. My anxiety over this plan is making me irritable and… skittish.

“Yeah?”
I mutter through chattering teeth.

“You take your Lord’
s name in vain a lot for a good Catholic boy,” he softly murmurs. Ezra gazes at me without judgment- pure curiosity. “Just an observation. Unless you meant, ‘Jesus Christ, it’s cold out here. Please warm us up.’ I wouldn’t pray about such mundane things, though.”

“Jackass!”
I snicker. “What do you mean by
my
Lord? Did you convert?”

“
I did,” Ezra says while shaking his head yes.

“Going to a Catholic private school must have been strange for you.
With all that Jews killing Jesus…” I trail off not wanting to offend him.

“I didn’t convert until after…
” Ezra doesn’t have to explain what after means. It’s the term they all use. After the abduction. After their lives changed. Just… After. “But I’m sure Hillbrook was difficult on my father. His faith is the only thing that keeps him sane. Highly devout,” amusement laces his voice and a bit of pride. Marcus is definitely an original.

“Don’t you fi
nd it odd that two guys who love guys are talking about religion while they wait for their victim to enter their trap? It seems a bit hypocritical to me, just saying.”

“If you have
true faith, you will realize that these rules were written by men after the fact. All men are corruptible. I don’t put much stock into their teachings. What I do or don’t do is between me and our God. And since when is love evil? And our victim is willing… nary a victim, if you ask me.”

“Speaking of our victim, how are you getting her here?
” A potent shiver wracks my body, and it’s not from the blustery wind. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

“Trust D
r. Zeitler, he won’t steer you wrong.” Ezra flashes me an arrogant grin. “This is the ultimate in closure. You will never do this again. It is an end of an era. Do you really wish not to experience it?”

“It
just feels wrong somehow.” I’m channeling my father. I want to run away and cower in a panic. “I no longer see her like that,” I practically whine.

Ezra arches a sinister brow and smirks.
“Yeah, that’s why you’ve been peeking at me from the folds of your robe.”

I tug my robe closed, pretending it’s because of the cold. But Ezra’s no fool.
“Maybe it’s because I’m hot for you?” I challenge him. “Did you ever think that?”

“All the time, Pretty Boy,
” he long-sufferingly moans. “But don’t bullshit me. You want her or this wouldn’t be so difficult for you. It’s why we’re doing it in the first place. You need to move on and so does she. She’s tried to touch you inappropriately several times over the past few months and you’ve freaked out. The transition has been difficult for both of you. This, tonight, will be the final act of this portion of your lives. Trust me.”

“I do… but I fear you’re thinking with that,” I point at the bulge in his pajama pants.

“Unlike most men, my brain rules… that.” Ezra cups his bulge and squeezes. “I’m highly excited, but this really is about closure.”

“It’s
wrong doing this when they’re all inside the house. I feel like a fucking pervert. Her kids are in there and so are yours,” I stress.

“We’re in luck. Transcend is having a Halloween Party. Everyone is there, with
the exception of the retirees and Regina. Daniel, my mom, and my father are meeting with Olivia this evening over at French Kissed Kink. I’m sure all three will love watching the ladies,” Ezra suggestively purrs with a devious glint in his eye. “Regina is dealing with an Empowerment crisis. No one is home to hear her…” he leans forward and whispers in my ear, “Scream… No one will hear her scream.”

A full-bodied shudder rolls through me. I say,
“Save the staff,” to distract the emotions Ezra is igniting in me.

“Save the staff… that you pay… they will keep their mouths shut. Besides, they won’t hear her scream
all the way down here. The borders of the Maze will muffle her struggles.” I don’t want to think too hard on how he’d know that. Knowing Ezra is an experience, to say the least. As he speaks to you, you forget that he is a rapist. There is no sugarcoating that truth. He’s probably been hard since he thought up this disastrous plan.

Jesus Christ, this is a bad idea.
And yes, this time I am praying to my lord and savior. I’m praying that he will stop this train wreck of epic proportions, because I don’t have the strength to stop Ezra or myself. I don’t want to stop.

“How are you getting her down here?” I impatiently say.

“This,” Ezra waves a cellphone around. “My father’s,” he says with a grin. “I sent Regina a text to meet him in the center of the maze at nine p.m.”

“
Marcus is going to kill me,” I breathe, wandering in a circle, running my fingers through my hair. “I’m so screwed.”

“Marcus wi
ll want to kill you, but Regina won’t let him. Hopefully this will show my father that he should take care of his woman’s needs, instead of silently judging her for them. Closure for Regina and you… lesson for Marc.”

“How will we know when Regina
gets here?” Anticipation is boiling in my veins. I’m no longer cold. When the wind hits me, it instantly heats. I can’t stop pacing in a three foot space. I prowl like a caged animal waiting for release.

“Sensor: I placed one at the mouth of the maze. As soon as she enters
, a signal will be sent to my cell. It’s ten of nine. She’ll be here any minute. It’s Regina we’re waiting on, she’s always early.”

Ezra stops me dead
in my tracks. We stand forehead-to-forehead, gazing into each other’s eyes. His stormy gray gaze is sparking with anticipation of the hunt. I have no idea what I look like, but I do feel crazed.

“This is insanit
y,” I whisper, my breath teases Ezra’s lips.

“You can feel the blood rushing in your veins and the air sawing between your lips to service your lungs. Your skin prickles with an electric current that is just this side of pain. Every hair on your body stands on end,” Ezra hypnotically chants, but he isn’t controlling my mind. “An elation you’ve never felt quickens your pulse. Trepidation coils in your belly. Your sex is on fire- dick stiff and balls tight. This isn’t even real… Imagine,” he seductively purrs. “What it feels like when it is…”

The Ezra I know is gone and in his place is an instinct driven predator hell-bent on fornication.

“Get ready, Pretty Boy. We’re about to have the hunt of our lives…”

~Chapter Thirty-Three~

A howl splits the air- a hedonistic
primal sound of the hunt. Ezra drives Queen, pushes her towards my location. I tilt my head back and roar my position. Our archaic form of communication has been used since the dawn of time.

Air rushes across my bared flesh
as I run the Maze, the chill cutting me like shards of ice. The ground pounding beneath my bare feet slices into my soles. Every left turn draws me closer to my quarry. Welts and scratches mar my skin; it’s the brutal retaliation for using the Maze as our hunting ground.

Sound ceases to exist as my ear
s tune to my prey. My labored breath and rapidly beating heart are eclipsed by the position indicating sounds of my prey’s bleats. Queen’s shrieks are closer to my predatory partner, but as she flees, each step draws her nearer… closer to me...

We’
d waited until Regina was safely ensconced in the center of the Maze before we took up positions at the entrance and exit. Instinct drove Queen recklessly towards Ezra at the exit. She quickly learned from her error. Several battles have been engaged, where she surfaced as the victor.