Lace Underground: The Complete Trilogy Read online

  She stares up at me with her brown eyes that are even bigger in her small face. Without warning, she reaches up and pushes a strand of my hair back off my cheek. The gesture causes me to take hold of her hand once again. I kiss her palm and the line on her wrist where Kane has kept her shackled like his captive.

  She drops her hand away when I release it. "I don't like that plan. I'm going to talk to him, plead with him to let you go," she says confidently as if she has that kind of control over him. And maybe she does. She sure has more control over me than I realized.

  "Well then, problem solved," I say wryly. "Just don't be too sure about it. This guy is thinking on a whole different level than us mere stupid mortals."

  "We'll just have to see," she says confidently.

  A knock on the door startles both of us. "Mr. Freestone wants everyone up on deck," Oscar says as he pops open the door.

  "After you, Miss Tennyson," I say as I wave her past with a flourish.

  Ten slips past Oscar. He holds up the handcuffs before I can get by. "Back into the shackles for you."

  I hold my hands together in front of me. He shakes his head and tells me to turn around with his finger. I turn around and he wrenches my arms behind my back. The one thing I have learned since my undercover assignment fell apart is that hands in the back mean something bad is coming. My gut tells me the same thing as Oscar cuffs me and pushes me forward.

  38

  Angie

  Kane has on his captain's hat as he stands in the wheelhouse getting the boat ready to leave the dock. It's as if we're all just out here on the water for a nice day trip across the sparkly blue sea. Only Maddox is sitting silently, his mouth set grimly in a straight line and his hands fastened behind his back. Jason has gone ashore. It seems he will be 'missing the boat' for lack of a better phrase.

  The yacht club has sent out two men dressed in white shorts, matching blue shirts and holding two-way radios to help Kane with the moorings and navigation out of the marina. It's a glorious day out on the water, glowing sun, fresh air, sea birds darting down for fish. The picturesque scene ahead makes the whole thing feel even more surreal because the mood on deck is far from glorious.

  Once the yacht is clear of the marina, buoys and other obstacles, the boat speeds up and we glide over the turquoise water toward the endless horizon. With the tough maneuvering out of the way, Kane takes a sip of his drink and stands alone in his wheelhouse. I decide it's my chance to talk to him in private.

  I climb the stairs and step inside the glass encased captain's bridge. "We left Jason behind," I say unnecessarily.

  "Yes, he had some things to take care of for me on shore." Kane puts on his black sunglasses. They reflect the sunlight and make it impossible for me to read his eyes and figure out what he might be thinking. Something tells me that it's intentional.

  I stare out at the ocean. The view is fantastic from the bridge. "So you know how to captain a yacht. I suppose I should have known that."

  "Did you eat some of the fruit Oscar brought back from the market?"

  "I did. It was delicious. I'm thrilled to be enjoying food again. Where are we going?" I decide to start with the easiest question only I forget I am asking the man who has perfected the art of dodgy answers. He doesn't disappoint.

  "Felt like a cruise around the ocean."

  "Of course. Well why not then. Sounds perfectly wonderful except there's a man in handcuffs sitting on the polished teak deck of the yacht. Just let him go. You've taken every precaution to make sure no one knows how to get to the Lace Underground. He'll go back to the precinct, and they'll be right back at square one."

  "Sounds like you have things all figured out." Kane's face turns my direction. I can't see his eyes but I know he’s looking at me. His hand reaches for my arm. He strokes it lightly, sending a swirl of heat through me. "What would you sacrifice for him? What would you sacrifice for the man you love?"

  I spin around and pretend to be interested in the scenery. "I don't love him, and he certainly doesn't love me. There are different kinds of love. You are a purported genius yet you know almost nothing about human interactions."

  "I know far more than I realized, thanks to my Sweet Sin." I hear him lift his glass for a drink. "See that man down there, the one who hasn't taken his eyes off this wheelhouse since you climbed up here? He came here for you. Not for any police investigation. Not for a medal or a big story in the paper. He came here for one reason. To find you. The woman he loves."

  I shake my head. "You have it very wrong."

  "I don't think so. That's why I'll ask you again. What would you sacrifice for him?"

  I turn back around. He pulls off his sunglasses, apparently realizing everything he says and does is far more effective when his piercing blue eyes are drilling in to me.

  "What do you mean?"

  Kane drops his gaze to the swell of my breasts and down to my legs. "Lift your skirt for me, Sweet Sin."

  "No."

  "He can only see your back and he can't see down below your waist. Lift it or leave because the discussion is over."

  I reach down and lift the dress up above my panties. The nectar in my blood races through me and straight to my pussy.

  "Close your eyes," he orders.

  I slowly let my lids drop, blotting out the sun and the sea and white frothy wake behind the boat.

  Kane's voice is deep and husky. "Would you sacrifice your freedom?"

  I don't answer and startle when he takes hold of my hand. He places it firmly between my legs. "Touch yourself, my sweet. I want to watch."

  "Please, no."

  "Guess that answers my question. You won't sacrifice much then. Makes my decision easier."

  "No. I'll do what you want." I slide my fingers under my panties. As my fingers slip between the hot moist folds, Kane tugs the bodice of my dress down enough to expose my nipples.

  "That's it. You know what I want to see. What I want to hear." His voice is nearly drowned out by the wind and sea.

  I drop my head slightly back and stroke myself. I lose concentration for a second when Kane's mouth comes close to my ear. "Come for me, Sweet Sin."

  I release a long low moan as I shudder with the sensations. I open my eyes and pull my hand free of my panties.

  Kane is staring at me. "Give up everything. Stay with me. Be my Sweet Sin."

  "Why would you want me? Knowing how much I've deceived you? Knowing that I badly want to go back home. We're standing here on your yacht, which we reached by flying in your private plane. You look like you stepped off a magazine cover. The captain's hat works for you, by the way. Why would you want me when you can have any woman?"

  "I don't want any woman. I want you."

  I think back to the suggestion Maddox made that Clark could be closing in on Kane. I would be free soon enough.

  "All right fine. I'll do it. I'll stay and be your Sweet Sin until you can't stand me anymore. Then you can toss me away. If you let Maddox go, I'll stay with you."

  He nods. The thought of staying on with him sends a cold chill through me. Since seeing Maddox I can think of nothing else except getting out from under Kane's control.

  I head to the steps.

  "Only one problem with that," he says before I leave. "I can't trust you. Or did you forget that this whole thing started with you pretending to be a homeless girl? Unfortunately, you're a bad actress." He moves closer and presses his mouth to my ear. My eyes flit down to the deck. Maddox is staring up at us. "Just like a few seconds ago—when you pretended to come."

  I flinch at his words. He steps back. "I've memorized every physical reaction you have when you reach orgasm, every sound, every eyelash flutter, every parting of those fucking amazing lips. I even know exactly how your nipples tighten when you come. You were pretending. Again. It seems. So, no deal because I can't trust you."

  I stand there trying to mentally slow my pulse. "Do you really know?" I ask. "Or have I been faking it this whole fucking time just to get
you to leave me the hell alone." I stomp back down the steps leaving him sufficiently speechless. For the first time, it feels as if I just outplayed the genius. If only it were true. If only I had been faking it all those times, then maybe I could feel just a touch less ashamed about how easily I succumbed to the madman's charms.

  I step hard onto deck. My eyes lock instantly with Maddox's questioning gaze. My heart sink likes a stone. What have I done?

  39

  Angie

  After my disastrous negotiation session in the wheelhouse, I surrender to my will and sit down next to Maddox at the bow. With his hands cuffed behind his back, he has no choice except to sit awkwardly forward. I still manage to rest my head against his shoulder. I'm keenly aware of Kane watching every move through the window of the bridge, but I no longer care. Oscar has pulled a sun chair out on deck. He's stretched his long legs out and crossed his hands behind his head for a nap.

  I take a deep, steadying breath. After so many weeks in my underground bedroom, the sun and fresh air are intoxicating. The nectar is slowly leaving my bloodstream. More and more, rational thoughts storm through my head, but I would give anything to turn them off.

  "What the hell is he doing up there?" Maddox grumbles.

  "Not too sure." I place my hand on his arm. His muscles are taut with tension. "Whatever happens, Maddox. I'm sorry I screwed up."

  "No, Ten, I'm the one who screwed up. I just couldn't handle not knowing what had happened to you."

  I wrap my hand around him to hold his arm closer. "No, I mean I'm sorry that I wasn't a good partner."

  He turns his face. "What are you talking about? You were the best fucking partner a guy could have."

  I release him and look up at his face. We are sitting on a madman's yacht waiting for our fates to be handed out and all I can think is how breathtaking he is. My voice wavers now at the thought of us dying and me never being able to tell him how I really feel. "But you wanted a new partner."

  "Shit." He drops his face. His thick hair falls forward. "Shit." He lifts his face again. "You really don't know, do you? Everyone in the precinct knew. Even Clark. Shit, Clark before anyone else. He knew even before I figured it out."

  "What? You've lost me."

  "I'm in love with you, Ten. I've loved you for fucking ever, but I knew everything about us being together was wrong. And I figured you'd probably just laugh if you found out. It got so bad I thought, hey, I'll find someone else, fall in love and that will be that. But when I woke up every morning thinking about you, even with Tiffany right next to me, I knew that my stupid plan was just that—stupid. I thought if we weren't working together, I could just get you out of my head. Another useless plan that really backfired."

  I'm blinking up at him as he speaks and wondering if I am still more drugged than I realized. But with each word, the true weight of it sinks in. I blink back tears.

  "Are you fucking kidding me?" I ask with a half sob, half laugh.

  "Isn't this a cute scene." Kane's voice falls over us. It's a sound I used to wait anxiously to hear but now it makes me tense with rage.

  I glance around at the water. There is nothing but ocean and horizon, but it's easy to see that we are staying in one place. "Where are we?" I ask.

  "The ocean," Kane answers snidely.

  Oscar walks up behind him, casting his big shadow over all of us. I don't notice he's holding a rope until he brings it out from behind his back.

  I sit quickly down on Maddox's lap. "Whatever you do to him, you do to me too."

  "How Romeo and Juliet of you, Sweet Sin." His nickname makes Maddox tense beneath me. Kane, who misses nothing, notices too.

  "Do you like it?" Kane asks Maddox. "It comes from her sweet cinnamon coloring. See, while you sat in the same detective sedan with her, thinking about kissing her, touching her, fucking her, I was doing all that and more."

  Maddox's body grows hard like stone. The hot red blush of shame spreads over my entire body.

  "Oh, that's right, Maddox. You already had a little peek of what we were up to when I showed you the video." Kane motions for Oscar to come forward.

  "You fucker," I scream and jump at Kane. He easily pins my hands behind me. Tears cloud my eyes. I'm just as glad not to have to look at Maddox. I'm sick from embarrassment.

  Kane tries to whisper something in my ear but I elbow him hard. He keeps a firm grip on my wrists. How many times has he bound my wrists for pleasure and I yielded quickly, wanting it, enjoying it. But this time, my hands are bound with cruelty. I hate him for it.

  Oscar kneels down to tie the rope around Maddox's feet. I know the second he crouches down that he's made a huge error. Maddox's knee comes up so hard, Oscar's nose sprays blood over the leather upholstery as he stumbles back. He lands with a solid thud on deck.

  Kane moves both of my wrists to one hand. I feel him move behind me and gasp when the cold metal barrel of a gun presses against my temple. "I suggest you let Oscar tie your feet or I pull the trigger."

  Maddox looks him in the eye. "Bullshit. You won't kill her."

  "Good point," Kane says as he turns the gun on Maddox. "On the other hand, I have no problem killing you."

  Oscar wipes the blood off his face with the back of his arm. He picks up the rope and lumbers unsteadily toward Maddox. But rather than tying his feet, he throws his big meaty fist at Maddox. Maddox ducks and takes it on the edge of his chin. Oscar brings his fist back again and hooks the side of Maddox's head. He's out cold.

  Oscar sets to work tying his feet.

  "Maddox! James! Wake up," I scream. Kane's grasp on my wrists tightens. I'm sure he's going to break my bones.

  "Starboard side," Kane instructs Oscar.

  Oscar grabs Maddox's feet and yanks him off the bench. His arms are pinned behind him and his head smacks the deck. He wakes with a groan.

  "Maddox, he's going to throw you overboard," I cry.

  Maddox writhes and twists, but with his feet and hands bound he has little recourse. He draws his knees up and kicks out his rope tied feet. Oscar easily ducks out of the way.

  "I don't think I can lift him over the railing alone," Oscar tells Kane.

  I pull and squirm trying to break free of Kane's hold. He pulls me easily along to the railing where Maddox is working hard to get free of his constraints.

  "Don't do this," I plead. "I'll do anything you ask. Anything. I'll be your prisoner for the rest of my life. Just please don't do this."

  Kane pulls me roughly against him. "Prisoner? Is that what you would be? My prisoner?" Without warning, he shoves me hard. I stumble forward several feet before falling to my knees on the deck. I push to my feet and spin around just as they are struggling to lift Maddox over the railing. Maddox manages to get in one good blow with the back of his head into Kane's forehead.

  "Fucker," Kane growls.

  I lunge at Kane and wrap my arm around his neck but it's useless. They drop Maddox over. I scream out when I hear the splash. I grab the railing and am just about to throw my legs over when Kane pulls me back hard on deck.

  "Get her below," Kane orders Oscar. He hands me roughly over to his bodyguard. I clutch at the railing. "No just drop me in too," I cry. "Just throw me over."

  Kane's shoulders are stiff with tension as he walks toward the wheelhouse steps. Oscar rips my hands from the railing and throws me over his shoulder. I pound his back with my fists and kick my legs but he barely notices.

  "Maddox!" I scream. "Maddox!"

  "Stay strong, Ten!" he cries back. "I love you."

  The yacht lurches forward. Oscar stumbles to the side but manages to keep his hold on me. He tosses me into the bedroom and pulls the door shut. The lock is on the inside but he holds it tight. I glance toward the porthole and see the horizon blur as the boat moves quickly over the water. And away from the man I love.

  DEVOTED

  Copyright © 2018 by Tess Oliver

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in a
ny form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  1

  Angie

  I'm only vaguely aware of footsteps as they enter the bedroom. "Don't bother to leave the plate," I say without pulling the blanket from my head.

  "I've got something I think will help." Kane's rich, deep voice, a voice that used to send a glow of warmth through me, sends an icy chill around my heart.

  I pull down the covers but turn away from him on the bed. "I don't want anything from you except freedom or death. Whatever will make it so I never have to see your face or hear your voice again."

  "This will help with the withdrawals," he continues unabated. The dead calm in his tone makes me want to scream.

  Just his mention of withdrawal sends a painful shiver through me. Every part of me hurts. In between armies of invisible ants crawling up my arms and legs, there are shooting, stabbing pains. It's truly hell but it's nothing compared to the horrible image in my head of Maddox, the man I love, left alone in the ocean, feet and hands bound, struggling to stay alive, knowing full well death by drowning was imminent.

  "Get out. Please. Leave me the hell alone. I deserve to suffer. Just like you deserve to burn in hell."

  His footsteps near. "I think you should take the injection. They'll be here soon."

  Kane's last statement makes me turn to look at him. His face is drawn and dark circles punctuate the blueness of his eyes.

  "Who will be here?"

  He holds up the syringe. It's filled with a clear liquid, not nectar. God, how I wish it were nectar.

  "So, you're not going to answer? You're just going to go all broody and quiet. Get out. I can't stand the sight of you." I pull the covers up to my chin.