Mistaken Trust (The Jewels Trust Series) (51 page)

In agony, Jewels screamed again. The pain was excruciating with the searing burn lasting long after the rounded thong tails of the brutally handled flogger had vacated her quivering body.

Wincing at Jewels’ screams of torment, Hines’ sexual fantasy was playing out to be far more sadistic than he had ever imagined with the doll. Really, he didn’t want to hurt her
that
badly or make her cry out in torturous pain. Rather, he wanted her to moan in pleasurable pain. Certainly there was a difference, as far as he was concerned.

Red welts instantly bubbled up on Jewels’ body from the savage kisses of the dozens of long rubber tails that had assaulted her naked back and bare arms.

The veins in Marshall’s neck protruded like ropes as he strained to free himself. “Come on you piece of shit! Show
me
what you got,” Marshall taunted, trying to lure Hines away from Jewels.

Annoyed with Marshall’s bad mouth, Hines set his jaw, circled the whip for a third strike.

The whirling tails whooshed a dreadful sound, like a fire-breathing dragon deeply inhaling readying to exhale a scorching path of destruction.

Pinching her eyes shut, Jewels held her breath, tensed her body, braced herself in anticipation of another heavy handed strike.

SHHHWICKKKK!
Once again the tails of the rubber flogger viciously ripped across bare flesh.

Automatically cringing, but feeling nothing, she peeked through one squinted eye to witness the whip recoil from across Marshall’s bruised chest.

“I’m gonna rip your fuckin’ arms off,” Marshall growled, his teeth bared, lips snarling, eyes firing hate.Turning to Jewels, “The obnoxious MTAF man took that one for you, Sweet Cheeks,” he barked, tossing the device of torment across the room. Plunging his hands on his hips, he gazed down at Jewels in judgment.

Body trembling, head hanging, she wept. Her back and triceps were covered in hideous swollen ridges that felt as painful as they looked.

“Now, now, Sweet Cheeks,” he calmly said, gently stroking the top of her head like he had just finished a training session with a dog. “No more tears,” he ordered, before shuffling over to the fireplace.

Sniffling, she raised her head slightly, eyed Marshall. They exchanged glances of relief. At least
that
phase of Hines’ lunacy seemed to be over. She peeked over her shoulder at Hines.

Pacing the floor, he nibbled on his right thumbnail and held his forehead with his left hand. His eyes were wild and searching. Face had a crazed look about it reminding her of one of the scenes from the movie “The Shining” where Jack Nicholson’s character had gone nuts.

It was apparent FBI Special Agent In Charge Theodore Hines was about to lose it. Jewels’ vibes warned she must try to calm him down, befriend him, otherwise he might kill both Marshall and her.

Sniffling, “Excuse me, Theodore,” she called out as sweetly as she could.

Marshall looked at her like she’d metamorphosed into a three-headed alien.

Picking up the MP-5, he eagerly rushed to her side. “Yes, Sweet Cheeks?” he said, hope in his voice.

“I thought since I was going to be your wife, maybe I should get to know you a little better. You know, maybe we could talk.”

Now it was Hines who was looking at her as though she were a three-headed alien.

Feigning a sweet smile, “Come on. Let’s talk,” she said, winking at him.

Melting to his knees at her side, he released her neck from the collar.

“Oh, thank you, Theodore,” she said, deep gratitude in her voice.

He blushed like a schoolboy.

Maintaining the forced smiled while charmingly batting her eyelashes at him, she turned her head from side to side to loosen her stiff neck.

Watching her for a moment, he began liberating her. Jewels’ eyes cut to Marshall as Hines fumbled to free her from the restraints. She winked at him.

Marshall nodded, dispensed a keep-up-the-good-work look in reply, winked back at her.

“There you go,” Hines said, releasing the last clip of the forced-kneel harness and removing the wide belt from around her waist.

Sitting back on her buttocks and straightening her legs, Jewels stretched her arms above her head and twisted back and forth at the waist. Though her body screamed in pain, “Much better,” she said, forcing a smile while doing her best to conceal the agony that came naturally to her face. Lowering her arms, she reached to unbuckle the strap around her left wrist.

Swiftly, he plastered his hand on top of hers to stop her from loosening the buckle. “Leave that on.”

Shrugging, she wiggled her wrists like she was playing with new bangle bracelets. “Funky jewelry,” she said, pretending they didn’t bother her. Leaning forward, she reached to unfasten the leather cuff around her right ankle.

“Leave those, too,” Hines said, grabbing her wrist.

Though grimacing from the intensity of his grasp, she didn’t fight him. Instead remained calm, wanting him to believe she was genuinely interested in talking to him and was eager to obey his wishes ... much like an obedient dog. Nodding in agreement and leaving the straps securely fastened as he had instructed, “Okay, Theo,” she said, beaming her best plastic smile.

Eyes were bright, brimming with anticipation, “What do you want to talk about?” he quizzed, releasing his hand from her wrist.

“This floor is terribly cold and hard. Do you mind if we sit on the side of the bed?” she asked, doing her best to charm him.

“Oh, golly, no,” he said in a Clark Kent tone of innocence, a boyish phrase he might have used with his mother. Bolting to his feet, he offered a helping hand.

Graciously she accepted, her mannerisms ladylike.

Gentlemanly, he helped her to her feet.

Sweetly smiling, she brushed the embedded grime off her legs and butt then took a seat on the bed near the headboard, her body turned slightly inward.

Submachine gun in hand, he parked near the footboard with his body also turned slightly inward, but in the opposite direction so he was facing her and within arm’s reach.

Squeezing her long legs tightly together, she rubbed her goosebump splattered arms.

Swiping his FBI jacket off the footboard, “Forgive me. I should have realized you’d be cold,” he said, draping the windbreaker over her shoulders.

Gladly accepting the coat, she slid her arms into the sleeves and bundled up in it, ignoring the throbbing pain from the whipping. “Theodore, you
can
be so thoughtful,” she said, tenderly touching his arm as if he were a dear friend.

“So what do you want to know about me?” he asked, the MP-5 slung forward over his shoulder, muzzle pointing at her gut.

“Well, if I’m going to be your wife, I suppose I should know about you. Your family. Why you
chose
me....”

“Okay. I don’t have any family. I’m an only child. My mother’s dead and my father left when I was only seven.” Pushing to his feet, leaving the MP-5 swinging from the shoulder harness, he stuffed his hands in his pants pockets, staring off toward the door. “You know, a little boy should have his father around when he’s growing up,” he said dreamy-eyed.

Shaking her head in silent agreement, “I bet you and your mother were close.”

Wheeling around, he plopped on the bed, taking up both of Jewels’ hands in his. “Oh, yes. And you remind me so much of her.”

“Oh?”

Gazing fondly into Jewels’ eyes, “Your hair is long and blonde, like hers. Your face has an angelic quality about it, like hers. And...,” pausing, and acting shy, “your body ... you are even more shapely and beautiful than she was ... more so than I ever imagined.”

Slowly retracting her hands from his touch, “Well thank you, Theodore.”

Staring blankly over Jewels’ head, tears welled-up in his eyes. Biting his lip, “Father would have stayed if she wouldn’t have cheated on him ... four times.”

Glimpsing over at Marshall, she raised her eyebrows to sport a get-a-load-of-this look.

Silently, Hines maintained a fixed gaze on the wall behind Jewels. Suddenly his eyebrows knitted. Eyes narrowed. Grabbed Jewels’ upper arms. Shook her hard once. “But no. The cunt had to screw around,” he snarled, globs of spit pelting Jewels’ face, neck and arms. “That’s why I had to remove that dirty organ from those women.”

Wildly blinking, “What women?” she pried, bridling the urge to contest his painful grasp.

Releasing Jewels’ arms, he sprung off the bed, hugged the MP-5 to his side. “Come on, I’ll show you,” he said, snatching Jewels’ right wrist, just above the restraint cuff.

Towing her to the kitchen area, he reached behind the wall cabinet. The secret room door popped open about a foot. Extending his hand inside, he smacked his palm against the battery-powered light to turn it on. Swinging the door open wide, “Go ahead in,” he instructed Jewels, pushing his hand against her back to nudge her forward.

Reluctantly, she stepped into the pantry-sized room.

Slithering past her, he pointed to the four jars consecutively labeled #1 through #4 MOMMA. “See, these are the evil things. And I have a SWEET CHEEKS jar labeled and ready to add to my collection.”

Reflexively, she curled up her nose and recoiled her body, arms automatically folding tightly over her chest. “What happened to the women?” she asked, her voice rattling with fear.

“Buried ‘em behind the cabin,” he casually answered.

“I see,” Jewels responded, forcing herself to remain composed. As a distraction to keep from screaming bloody murder, she visually explored his treasure shelves. A silver wedding band caught her eye. Dashing to it, she picked it up, reading the inscription aloud: “To my beloved Robert who holds the key to my heart. Jewels.”

Gasping, she dropped the ring, staring wide-mouthed at Hines who scooped up the band off the ground and slipped it on his ring finger. Gulping for air, “Where did you get that?”

Rubbing the ring affectionately, “From Robert. The day I rigged that huge roll of newspaper to drop on him.”

“You killed Robert?” Jewels cried, her voice ascending to a murderous falsetto.

“Yeah, so?” Hines replied, with a shrug as if admitting to something as trivial as being a subscriber to “Playboy” magazine.

“Why did you kill him?”

“When I met you, I asked you to go out with me. Do you remember what you said?”

Jewels negatively shook her head.

“You said, and I quote: I’m happily married to the most wonderful man in the world and I’m very much in love with him. But thank you anyway. End of quote. That’s exactly what you said.”

In motionless silence, Jewels stood stunned. Her mind wandered into the deep dark folds of the drapes of her psyche, discovering a moth hole of pure rage. Somehow, someway, she was going to kill Theodore Hines.

The touch of his hand on her arm made her cringe. “Now what else do you want to talk about?”

Turning around, she scanned the shelves on the other side, eyes fixing on a group of dolls, brutally bound in various positions. The forced kneel restraint she recognized. Her facial muscles twitched nervously. Had to get out of there. “Let’s talk about
us
, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to sit on the bed. I’m feeling a little weak,” she said, swiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

Agreeing with a smile, he quickly stepped outside the secret room. Standing sideways in the doorway, leaving little space for her to pass by, he gestured for her to exit.

Anxious to leave the creepy room, yet apprehensive, she inhaled deeply then rapidly slinked by the murdering bastard. As their bodies made contact an automatic shiver of repulsion jolted her entire being. If he noticed, he didn’t react.

The instant she was clear of the door, he vigorously bumped it shut with his shoulder, heard the immediate click indicating the secret lever engaged, then followed Jewels back to the bed, gun aimed at the middle of her back.

Each sat on the edge of the mattress. Jewels near the head of the bed, her body angled toward Marshall, and Hines near the footboard facing Jewels, purposely targeting the muzzle of the MP-5 at her abdomen.

“Tell me about you. Your hobbies, your ambitions...,” she said to Hines, her eyes cutting to Marshall.

Waving his hands above his head, Marshall showed he was not only free of the leather thong anchoring him to the wall, but also of the cuffs.

Shocked to see Marshall liberated from the handcuffs, she widened her eyes slightly in recognition of his freedom, otherwise containing her surprise ... and relief.

As if they were still tethered, Marshall tucked his hands behind his back.

Curious about how Marshall freed himself, Jewels tuned out Hines’ rambling voice to allow her mind to drift. Staring blankly down at the mattress, she figured Marshall could have fairly easily escaped from the leather strap. After all, she purposely hadn’t tied it too tightly. But how did he get out of the cuffs? Another key in a pocket? When this was all over, she’d be sure to ask him. Thinking fondly of him, her eyes wandered in his direction.

Clearing his throat, “There will be plenty of time for
talking
, Sweet Cheeks,” Hines said agitated, obviously wise to Jewels’ lack of interest in him.