Page 31 of Vicious Vows

So the Russians have given up on threatening me and they’ve moved on to someone new, someone I didn’t think I needed to protect. And their plan is working too, forcing Micah to think about what she might lose in this game and not what she is obtaining. As I guide her toward the still-running car to escort her home, I start to formulate a plan to get Micah’s friend back. I don’t know why he means so much to her, but she’s become a loose cannon, and with this much on the line, we can’t afford a misfire.

23

MICAH

Luke takes me back to his house which he’s calling “home”, but it doesn’t feel like home anymore. It feels like a horror movie where I’m trapped behind a computer trying to find my way back to who I used to be. He walks me inside and mentions that we should talk, but I ignore him and walk straight to the computer. He said he’d find Will, but he can only do so much. The only way to find him is to look for where he’s been.

Plopping down at my computer, I start my search over again, only this time, I start with any security camera within a three-block radius around his house that might have caught anything. My fingers do all the work, but I’m at a loss when I find nothing useful. So, I search the cameras near the school, then near the jewelry store. Everything is coming up empty, though, no matter where I search. I’m growing more and more frustrated by the second.

Someone is actively working against me to keep me from finding him, someone who is very good at covering tracks. Maybe someone who took him. My fingers fly faster, spamming the hacker with code he has to decrypt before he can continueadding layers to the mask he’s using. I’m almost there, seeing hints of Will’s work, when they put roadblocks in my way, using my own tactics against me. Will does this stuff for me while I do the hacking. I can’t keep up with both things at once.

“Dale!” I scream, frantic to get to Will’s signature to locate the IP address where he’s hacking from, but Dale doesn’t come. If he could do what Will normally does, handling this traffic to allow me to focus, I could do this. “Dale!” I scream again, feverishly typing away, but I can’t keep up.

I feel Luke’s hand on my shoulder and shake my head as I watch my hard work unraveling. I was so close. I almost had an IP address, which would lead to a location, but there are too many people out there. They have to have Will working for them the way Luke stole me from that street corner and forced me to work for him.

So angry I could throw my computer, I slam the thing closed and lean back in the chair. Luke takes my hand after a few seconds and draws me up out of the seat into his arms.

“Mia cara, we’ll find him. I told you that.” His thick arms don't feel like comfort right now. They feel like pain and captivity. Like I’m not where I’m supposed to be. Someone I care about is out there right now, suffering because of me. Will did nothing wrong. He got dragged into this by accident. “Come with me,” he coaxes gently, and I have no choice but to submit to him.

I follow him upstairs into our room where the bathroom door stands open. He guides me into the bathroom, and I see he’s drawn a hot bath. Bubbles are piled high on the surface of the water. A bottle of wine sits on the edge of the sink next to a glass. He doesn’t seem angry that I ran off again. Maybe this time, hegets the point that I care about people, unlike him, and I feel guilty for getting those people involved in my life.

“I don’t want a bath…” I protest, crossing my arms over my chest and planting my feet.

But Luke won’t ever take no for an answer. He puts an arm around my waist and drags me into the room. His strong hands begin peeling my clothing off as he speaks to me in a calm tone.

“I have my best men looking into this, and I know you are too. You can’t work when you’re emotional and flustered. If you want to find your friend, you need to remain calm. Let me help you relax, and then you can go back to work with a clear head.” His fingers pry my arms away from my body so he can remove my shirt and bra, then he tugs my jeans down, along with my panties, and forces me to sit on the edge of the bathtub as he kneels to remove my shoes and then my clothing.

When I slip into the hot water, it sucks the tension right out of me. Luke is right. I can’t focus when I’m so wound up I can’t think straight. I’m really good at what I do, and I know I can find him and beat all the tricks those bastards throw at me if I’m calm and level-headed. I got too emotional.

“Here, bella,” he says, slipping the glass of wine into my hand. “Not too much, but enough to help you relax.”

The wine swirls in the glass, and I stare at it for a hard second. Part of me wonders if he’s drugged it or something, wary of what he may do to me since I left without asking again. But with the weight on my shoulders, the other part of me doesn’t care. I feel helpless and out of control. I bring the burgundy liquid to my lips and drink deeply, closing my eyes.

My mind drifts away to a happier place as I lie here soaking. When I was a child, Nathan and I used to sing a song when we were happy, something about birds of a feather… That tune plays through my thoughts on repeat, and I start to unwind. Then I feel Luke’s warm fingers on my skin, washing me with a soft cloth. I look up at him with sadness, not understanding why he’s showing me concern or compassion. Last time, he just locked me in a room.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask, feeling the wine make my head spin a little.

“You’re worried about your friend. I’m trying to help. I can’t type computer code to find him or wave a magic wand, but I want you to know I’m sparing no expense to make sure your family is safe and my men have what they need to find your friend.” He dips his cloth-covered hand into the water and rubs my belly, cleaning me.

I sigh and try hard to look away. I want to be angry with him. If I hadn’t come here, Will would be safe. I don’t even know if he’s alive now, after my hacking attempts. They could very well be killing him as we speak. I’m sure people like Luke’s enemies aren’t in the business of letting hackers know their secrets and then letting them live.

“What if we don’t find him? What if they kill him? It’s the Russians… I know it is. I saw their code.” The same signatures that I’ve been hacking for months were coming up during my search. I know they took him, probably to force him to steal from Luke the way I’ve been stealing from them. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

“We’ll find him. Just relax,” he says, and his hand dips to my core where he rubs gently.

A moan escapes my lips, and I meet his gaze. I’m afraid of what is happening with Will, but Luke is the only thing that makes me feel stable and in control right now. I used to believe that about my father. He used to be the one who made me feel stable and in control. Luke has done nothing but control me and force me to do what he wants. So, why do I still want him? Why does my heart want to lean into him and cling to him?

“Can I help you relax a bit more?” he asks as his fingers search my tender places, stimulating me.

I want to say no because I know my family would want me to resist him, but I’ve shared too many intimate moments with him. I know what he can make me feel, how closely connected I am when we do this. And I know he will keep his word, sparing no expense to make sure Will returns to his family.

I bite my lip and nod at him, and his fingers sink into me, searching my core with hunger. His eyes stay fixed on mine as he rubs my G-spot with two fingers and my clit with his thumb. With his other hand, he slowly undoes the buttons on his shirt, then the fly of his slacks, and when he’s ready to undress, he guides my hand to my valley.

“Touch yourself,” he whispers as he stands to remove his clothing, and in seconds, he’s in the bath with me, making the water overflow the sides as he pulls me onto his body and I straddle him. “Forget everything else. Just think of this.” His thumb is on my clit again, rubbing and massaging, and I raise up just far enough for him to slide into me.

He fills me, pressing deep into my core. I gasp, the sensation of him driving out all lingering fears and concerns. His hands are firm on my hips, guiding me as I move against him. The worldshrinks down to the slick slide of our bodies, the fervent rhythm of our shared passion.

“Relax,” he murmurs against my ear, his words a breathy plea. And I do. I release, surrendering to him and the heady sensation throbbing between us. He rolls his hips upward, meeting me thrust for thrust while our bodies move as one. His lips find mine in a dance as old as time, tongues tasting and teasing until we are drunk on each other.

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