Page 61 of The Gilded Cuff
She touched his shoulder, curling her fingers into the leather of his jacket.
“Don’t worry. We’ll find Cody,” she promised.
He finally looked at her and then grabbed her wrists and dragged her back to the bed. What was he thinking taking her back to bed at a time like this?
“Hey, what the heck are you doing?” she demanded as he shackled her to the headboard and tucked her beneath the covers.
“Sorry, Sophie, I’ve got to know you’ll be safe and the best way I can do that is to leave you here.”
“Emery!” she screamed. “Please, don’t leave me here!” She fought, tugging on the cuffs until her arms ached and she was exhausted from shouting.
Hans looked between her and Emery and said, “Royce and Wes have volunteered to come and watch over her while we find Cody.”
“Good.” Emery pressed a kiss to her lips before he exited the room with Hans. The last sight she had was of Emery tucking a gun into the waistband of his jeans and dropping his t-shirt and jacket over it. Something about that made her stomach turn.
He’d left her behind.
“Emery! How could you!” She continued to scream until she was hoarse.
He didn’t come back.
The silent house around her was eerie, and she felt as if she was trapped in a tomb. Torn between anger at Emery for forcing her to stay here and worry about Cody, she didn’t hear the sounds of movement downstairs right away.
Masculine voices drifted up the stairs and down the hall. Sophie tensed. Royce and Wes must be here.
“Knock, knock,” Royce announced as he and another man entered the bedroom. She recognized the second man instantly. He was the redheaded dom at the Gilded Cuff Club. He’d had the lovely submissive sitting at his feet and he’d been stroking the woman’s hair and watching Sophie with mild interest. Not with sexual interest, but he’d definitely been curious. So this was Wes. Unlike Royce, who had an all-American rugged handsomeness about him, Wes had a sharp, dangerous look to him that reminded her of Emery.
“Well, well, we meet again.” Wes’s voice was low, silky, and seductive. “Officially, this time. I was admiring you the other night. You were such a breath of fresh air in the club. It’s a pity you’re Emery’s. I’d have been happy to tutor you in the ways of submission.”
I’ll just bet you would, she thought dryly. Sophie sank deeper into the bed, trying to ensure that the covers wouldn’t slip down and expose her nakedness to the two men.
“Can you please let me out of these cuffs?” she asked, attempting to sound plaintive and sweet. She had a feeling that demanding her release would get her nowhere with these two men.
They shared a meaningful look that boded ill for Sophie’s plans. Then Royce shook his head.
“Sorry, sweetheart. We’ve got orders straight from Emery. You are to remain right where you are.”
Royce and Wes seated themselves on opposite sides at the foot of the bed. Royce’s lips twitched at Sophie’s little growl of frustration. Wes, however, propped one leg up and rested his arms on his knee and stared at her thoughtfully.
“Royce said you’re writing Emery’s story.”
“Well…I’m actually not planning on writing it anymore. Emery and I have to have a little talk about that.”
Royce’s humor faded and he focused on her. “You’ve had a change of heart?”
“I came here intending to solve the kidnapping, not just write about his story. But yesterday some psycho burned Emery’s barn to the ground and left one of Fenn’s shoes inside the house as a present. The story doesn’t matter, at least not the revealing of what happened. What matters now is solving the case and catching this bastard. Emery’s in real danger, more danger than I even realized. I thought I would have time to track down the man responsible, but he’s already here and going for the kill. I’m sure he’s the man who took Cody tonight. Which is why I should be out there helping, not tied to the damn bed!” she snapped.
The two men exchanged glances. “Do you think it would be wise to go out there in harm’s way where Emery will be worried about you? The kidnapper might get hold of you and use you against him. Did you ever think of that?”
Stupidly, she hadn’t. She was so used to taking care of herself that the idea of her being used against anyone seemed so…unlikely.
“Well, that’s what worried Emery, and that’s why he called us. So relax,” Royce chuckled. “I’m sure we can entertain you for a few hours.” He waggled his eyebrows teasingly, but Wes’s gaze was still frank with interest.
Needing to change the subject and the sensual intensity of their stares, she tried another tact. “Can we watch TV or something? This is extremely awkward with you both just staring at me.”
She prayed it might give her time to figure out how to escape them, or at the very least convince them to set her free and take her to Emery. There was no way she wanted to sit on the sidelines, not when she knew she could help rescue Cody. It wasn’t just that. She had a bad feeling. A chilling sense of dread crawled into her chest, burrowed into her heart and weighed her down.
“I guess that would be okay. Football’s on tonight,” Royce replied.
