Page 21 of Worship Me (Men of Inked 7)
Ret’s gaze narrowed, and his finger ticked against the trigger. He better be a damn good shot if he was going to take the chance with my head so close to Matías’s. But when my legs wobbled again, I knew I couldn’t be a passive victim in this.
I needed to act. The only thing I could do was to use the one thing I had at my disposal. I inched my foot to the side until it touched Matías’s fancy leather shoes.
Bringing my knees up, I smashed my six-inch Louboutin down on the top of his foot. He lurched forward just enough for me to break free of his hold and run into James’s arms.
“Keep him alive,” James told Ret.
“Can I shoot him at least?”
Matías straightened, and his eyes grew colder. “You might as well kill me. I won’t talk.”
“Orders are to bring him in unharmed unless there are extenuating circumstances.”
“This is extenuating.” Ret smirked.
“Just let him shoot the fucker,” I whispered into James’s chest as I tightened my grip around his back.
James grabbed my arms, untangling me from him. “Stay here and don’t move.”
I wanted to cry. I needed him at that moment, but I knew I couldn’t cling to him forever. If we were going to get out of here, he needed to restrain Matías.
The men worked fast, fighting Matías as they overpowered him and put him into the very shackles he was going to put me in. He screamed, struggling the entire time, but no one outside of our room could hear him.
Connor had told us every room was soundproof even though it was monitored by a two-way intercom at all times. No one would be coming to rescue Matías.
“Izzy,” James said as he stalked toward me.
I was still in a haze from everything that happened, and my heart hadn’t stopped pounding in my chest. “Yeah?” I whispered.
“You and Alese go back to the hotel, and we’ll be back there as soon as they come to pick him up.”
“Okay,” I said and nodded slowly and robotically.
He wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in his warmth and safety. “Are you okay, doll?”
“I’m okay,” I said to him and buried my face into his shirt. “I’ll be okay. Just a little shell-shocked.”
“We would’ve never let anything happen to you,” he said in a soft, deep voice.
“I know. Can we wait here for you? I’d rather have a drink and wait in the common area than walk back to the hotel without you.”
He swept his hand across my back, soothing me. “That’s fine.” He leaned forward and kissed the top of my hair. “Go wait out there. Alese, if you can hear me, meet Izzy at the bar, please.”
“Thanks.” I hugged him tighter before breaking the embrace.
I took one last look at Matías. Seeing him helpless and restrained made me happy, but I couldn’t just walk out. I needed to do one more thing to feel I had the power back.
I stalked forward, my heels clicking against the cement floor.
James turned and stared at me, but he didn’t say a word.
I didn’t have words for how I felt about the man, but I did have one thing I wanted to do. I raised my hand and slapped him as hard as I could. My fingernails grazed his skin as they swept across his face, leaving a red mark and drops of blood.
James looked shocked, but he didn’t say anything as I spun around on my heels and marched out of the room. Fuck Matías. If I had my way, I would’ve tortured him until the men arrived to take him into custody. I’d hook electrodes up to his junk and electrocute him until it became useless.
Just thinking about it brought a smile to my face and gave me satisfaction. Alese was at the bar waiting for me when I walked into the public area. I slid onto the stool next to her, unhooking the leash and removing my collar.
“Fuck, that was intense.”
“Sounded like it.”
“Jack straight up, and keep them coming,” I told the bartender.
“Same,” Alese said because the girl could drink.
We’d become fast friends over the years. BDSM and ALFA were our commonalities. That, and strong men who pushed our buttons. Like me, Alese gave as good as she got.
“You okay?” she asked as I lifted my shaky hand, holding the freshly poured shot to my lips.
“I will be.” I laughed. Slowly at first, but it built into a cackle.
“I’d be crying if I were you.”
I poured back the Jack, taking all of it before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Alese looked more shell-shocked than I felt after the whole Matías ordeal. But it was over, and somehow, I’d gotten out of a sticky situation again with my life.
One thing I knew for sure—I didn’t want to see the inside of a private BDSM room for a long, long time. The memory of the look on Matías’s face and the panic that clawed at my insides wouldn’t be leaving me anytime soon.
“Another,” I told the bartender as he passed by.
I figured the best way to chase away the memory was with my buddy Jack.
James
The drive home was quieter than usual. Izzy had a massive hangover and kept her eyes closed during the four hours, for fear she’d throw up all over my car. Last night, the men took two hours to arrive to haul Matías into federal custody, and Izzy had thrown back more drinks than she had in over a decade.
I carried her out, kicking and screaming, and back to the hotel room. I held her hair back as she emptied the contents of her stomach, and I gave her a bath to help her relax and clean her up. I felt like shit for putting her in the situation, and I promised myself I’d never let it happen again. Her life was too precious to me to get her mixed up in our cases.
Thomas stood in our driveway, hands on his hips, and looking a little more upset that usual.
“Hey,” I said after I parked the car and climbed out.
“That was a clusterfuck, eh?” he asked.
“Nothing more than usual.”
“Tommy,” Izzy groaned, unfolding herself from the front seat of the Challenger in the most ungraceful way.
His eyes raked over her, and he shook his head. “You look like shit.”
“I earned this hangover.” She tried to crack a smile but winced. “I need my bed.”
“Can we talk?” Thomas asked, rubbing the scruff on his face.
“Sure.” I looked over at my wife who was now heading toward the door. “I’ll get everything. Go relax.”
“Already doing it,” she said, raising her arm, holding up two fingers.
I motioned toward the trunk with my head. The least he could do was talk while I unloaded the suitcases that barely fit in the trunk. “What’s up?”
“I think, moving forward, we shouldn’t involve Izzy, or any of our spouses for that matter, in any more cases.”
“Already thought about that on the way home.”
He raked his hands through his dark hair and sighed. “My mother already chewed me a new asshole when she found out where you two were going.”
“I’m sure that was pleasant.”
“I don’t remember her ever being so angry with me. I swear my phone almost burst into flames.”
I’d been on the receiving end of one of those calls in the past. It wasn’t fun. I hadn’t thought anyone could yell louder than my mother, but I was wrong. Mrs. Gallo wasn’t afraid to express herself, especially when she wasn’t happy.
“It’ll never happen again,” I reassured him.
“She’s going to want to hear it from both of us.”
“I’ll make a point of seeing her this week.”
“Your ass better be at dinner later.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, wanting to collapse in bed next to my wife and sleep until tomorrow, but that couldn’t happen because it was Sunday.
“We’ll be there.”
“Good.” He started to walk toward his bike to leave. “I’ll catch you later, then.”
“Give us a couple hours.”
“I’ll tell Ma you’ll be
late.”
He revved the engine, lifting the kickstand. “Bring your parents too.”
I nodded as I lifted the first set of suitcases and carried them toward the house.
I needed to convince Izzy that skipping dinner at her parents’ wasn’t in our best interest. Well, at least, not in mine. Her mother would have my head if she didn’t see Izzy was unharmed and safe.
The door opened before I stepped onto the porch, and my mother greeted me. “Welcome home.” She smiled. “The kids missed you.”
“Just the kids?” I asked as I walked past her and tossed the luggage on the floor.
“Us too.”
“I’ll be back, Ma.” I kissed her on the cheek. “I have a few more bags to get.”
“I don’t know why you two travel with so much stuff.”
That was funny. My ma didn’t travel light either. She always overpacked. It was why we made them their own suite and had enough closet space and a dresser to house her various outfits.
After I’d carried everything inside, my ma asked me to have a cup of coffee with her and my father. I needed jet fuel to get me through the rest of the day, which my mother provided in the form of a Café Cubano.
Ma poured me a larger than usual cup, probably noticing the bags under my eyes from the long night. “We think we found a condo.”
“Yeah? Where?”
