Chapter 17

LENNOX

Driving through the darkened streets, I steal a glance at Stevie. She's fidgeting in the seat next to me, rubbing her wrists incessantly. The raised red marks on her flesh from the rope I used to bind her, are stark against her pale skin. Good. They will serve as a reminder in case she forgets this little lesson. Not that I think she could, even if she wanted to. Tonight was everything I wanted it to be. Everything I needed it to be. The way her body reacted to not only my touch, but the heat from the embers glowing beneath us as she came on my dick – it's all burned into my memory, and I know it will be for her too.

She stares out the window, avoiding my gaze as we drive in silence. Her body is still trembling slightly, the aftershocks of what we did coursing through her, I can't help but feel a surge of satisfaction. She's the first girl I've come inside without wrapping it up, and I have no fucking regrets. It felt right like she was meant to take all of me.

Every fucking drop.

And she did it so fucking well.

When we pull up to her apartment, I park and climb out, quickly making my way to the passenger side of the car. I open her door and offer to help her get out knowing she still has shaky legs. She doesn't fight it. She lets me help her through the courtyard, which is a first. I can feel the tension radiating off her as she clings to my arm for support. Her breath is unsteady, but she's trying to hold it together.

As we approach her building, something feels off. The large sliding doors are smashed, the sheer curtains blowing through the broken windows.

What the fuck?

"Shit!" She shouts, clearly panicked.

Worry flickers in Stevie's eyes as she forgets about her legs or being unstable and rushes inside.

"Stevie, hold up," I follow her, adrenaline spiking, ready for whatever the fuck is going on.

Inside, she heads straight to the small kitchen area where she finds Grim hiding in one of the broken cupboards. Relief floods through me, knowing he's safe, but it's short-lived.

Before I can blink, a man leaps out from the hall, aiming straight for Stevie. Without thinking, I shove her and Grim behind me, taking on the intruder before he can strike.

The guy is huge, easily having a hundred pounds on me, and he's holding a knife. But I don't care, I've taken on bigger guys and won. We crash to the ground, exchanging blows. In the chaos, his blade knicks me, slicing through my upper arm like a hot knife through butter. It stings, but I'm used to pain, and with my adrenaline pumping, the pain causes maniacal laughter vibrate through me, catching him off guard. I use his shock to my advantage, and swing my arm back. My fist slams into his jaw, and the impact snaps his head to the side.

He's strong, but I've got rage on my side. In the chaos, the knife is knocked from his hand, skidding across the wooden floor. The sound of Stevie screaming hits my ears, but I tune it out, focusing on the intruder who thought he could break into my girl's place.

I manage to pin him down, my knee pressing into his chest. "Stevie, the knife!" I shout. She kicks it over, and I grab it, pressing the blade to the man's neck. He grunts, admitting defeat.

I laugh, as I wipe the sweat from my face with my arm, "Who the fuck are you, and why are you here?" I demand, my voice low and dangerous.

The man ignores me, his eyes locking on Stevie. "You're a dead woman, Ember." he laughs, "You think it matters if your little lapdog here kills me? It doesn't. I'm the first of many they'll send. Sweet Dreams is fucking coming. Jensen, is fucking coming."

The name Ember throws me off for a second, but I don't let it show. Without hesitation, I slit his throat. The air fills with the sound of his gurgling breaths as he dies. Stevie slumps to the floor, clutching Grim to her chest as she pats him, her back pressed firmly against the cupboards.

I stand, still gripping the bloodied blade in my hand as I watch her, my mind racing. "So, lil spark. Who the fuck is Ember? And what the hell is Sweet Dreams?"

She looks up at me, eyes wide with fear and something else. "Ember is me," she whispers. "Sweet Dreams─ they" she struggles to get the words out as she stares at the lifeless corpse of her attacker. "Sweet Dreams is a nightmare. They're dangerous people."

What the hell is she talking about? Ember? Dangerous fucking people?

"And why the hell are they after you?" I ask, trying to piece everything together.

She shakes her head, tears spilling down her cheeks as she pushes herself up from the floor. "It's a long story. I thought I could outrun them, but I guess I was wrong."

Stevie's pacing, and I can see the turmoil in her eyes. Something's coming, something big.

"Stevie, I need you to tell me everything." She stops and looks at me, her face tight with a mix of fear and rage.

"Okay," she begins, nodding her head. Her voice barely a whisper. I nod, urging her to continue. She takes a deep breath, and the floodgates open. "Sweet Dreams... they're an organization. A child trafficking ring, but not just a small one. They're massive. They have rings in all the major cities, all over the world." she explains. "They stole me from my family when I was a child. Renamed me, and raised me in their world—a world I never thought I'd escape. They owned me."

I feel a cold rage settling in my chest. "Owned you?" I repeat, trying to keep my voice steady.

"They used me," she says, the words spilling out. "Raped, abused, sold. Men from all over paid good money to fuck the girl with hair as orange as the burning flames of the most deadly element. They called me Ember." She lifts her shirt slightly, revealing the mark on her hip—a small section of raised pink flesh with a symbol of a crescent moon. The one I saw on her when she was tied to the pole earlier.

Everything is beginning to make sense. Her determination. Her defiance on being owned. On being mine.

I clench my fists, trying to control the boiling anger. How anyone could do that to someone I'll never understand, but to fucking kids?

Theres a special fucking place in hell for the people of Sweet Dreams, and I want to be the one to send them there.

"How did you escape?" I ask my voice tight.

"One thing Sweet Dreams taught me was how to use my body." she admits. The thought alone has my blood boiling. "One of the men who was in charge of keeping the girls in line, he took a liking to me, so I used it to my advantage. I let him think we had something, something real. I convinced him we could run away together, be free of the organization and just be together. All he had to do was get me out, and we could run away together." She continues pacing, still holding Grim tightly against her as she explains, "I turned on him the moment I could. I freed the girls I could find, and burnt the entire compound to the ground." Tears spill from her eyes as she sobs.

"Shh," I whisper, pulling her into my chest. Grim meows between us. Running my hand down her hair, I try my best to soothe and calm her. I know this has to be alot to open up about. Shit hearing it is a lot, never mind living it.

"I thought I killed Jensen," she says, her voice trembling. "But I was so desperate to get away, I guess I left him alive. I've been on the run ever since. Hiding, and trying my best to stay out of the public eye or do anything that could draw them to me. I would've stayed hidden if you hadn't started that fire in my shop." she snaps, shoving away from me, "If I hadn't been all over the news."

Her fear starts to morph into anger, and she glares at me, her voice rising. "It's your fault they found me."

"You can't be fucking serious? I didn't know any of this shit! Maybe if you were honest with me from the start─"

"Honest from the start? We weren't supposed to be anything. A fucking fling! That's all I wanted! And, yeah, you're right, You didn't know any of this shit. You didn't know anything about me. To you, it was just a fucking game. Something to entertain you. But guess what, Lennox, your fucking game sealed my fate. My death."

I open my mouth to speak, but she cuts me off, the rage boiling over. "Thanks to you, I'm exposed! Clearly they know where I am now." she spits in a rage as she gestures to the dead man on her kitchen floor. "They will come for me, and they won't stop until I'm just as dead as him. Buried in an unmarked grave on one of their vacant lots with the rest of their victims. I need to go,"

She starts running around the small apartment, grabbing random things in a frenzy and shoving them into a large black duffle bag. I watch her, feeling a mix of frustration and helplessness. "What are you doing?" I ask.

"I'm packing," she snaps. "I can't fucking stay here,"

I step forward, grabbing her arm. "You're not running," I growl. "There's no fucking way you're leaving."

She laughs bitterly, pointing again to the dead guy lying on her kitchen floor. "Really? And what about him?"

"I can take care of that," I say, pulling out my phone and sending a text and pin to my location.

L: Need you. Stevies. Bring clean-up and disposal shit.

She freezes, her mind racing. "What do you mean, take care of it?" she whispers.

Greyson replies instantly.

G: Be there in ten.

Tucking my phone away, I approach her, cupping her face in my hands and forcing her to look at me. "You're not fucking running. You're not leaving my goddamn city. If these people want to come for you? Let them. I'll fucking kill all of them and cook myself a steak over their burning bodies, lil spark."

A tear slides down her cheek. I wipe it away, smearing blood across her face. "Greyson will be here soon, and we'll take care of it, alright?" I say softly. "Please, just trust me."

She doesn't reply, instead she just nods.

"Let's get you cleaned up. "

I lead her to the bathroom, my grip firm yet gentle. I know she's scared, and I get it. But I won't rest until every single member of this ‘Sweet Dreams' organization is shut down. Stevie may have burned down one of their circles, but I'm going to blow up the entire goddamn thing.

The small bathroom fills with steam as I run the bath, the hot water pouring into the tub. I watch Stevie, her hands trembling as she takes a couple of vials from the counter and uses a dropper to add a few beads of oil into the water. The scent of eucalyptus fills the air, soothing but still a reminder of everything that's happened.

"Let me help you," I say, my voice low. She nods, allowing me to undress her. Her clothes stick to her honey coated skin as we peel them off. Grim jumps up on the side of the tub, meowing softly, sensing Stevie's distress. She gives the cat a weak smile, then lets me guide her into the tub.

As she settles into the water, my phone buzzes in my pocket. Greyson is most likely here. "I'll be back," I tell her, my tone firm but calm. "I'm going to clean up. Just try and relax. You're safe."

"Thank you," she whispers, her voice soft and vulnerable.

I close the door behind me and make my way to the living space. When I get there, Greyson is already standing over the dead man, a smirk on his face. "Quite a mess you've made," he comments, his tone laced with sarcasm. He's being a smartass, as usual. He knows this wasn't a planned kill. This was life or death.

Greyson raises an eyebrow, checking his watch. "We better get to work," he says. "I promised Alora I'd make it back in time for breakfast. Check his pockets,"

Bending down, I shove my hand in the blood soaked pockets of his jacket, pulling out a set of keys and his wallet. Standing, I open it up, "Miles Wilson. Never heard of him,"

"That makes two of us, give me the wallet, let me see what I can dig up on the guy," Greyson adds. I hand him the wallet and tuck the keys into my pocket.

"Fuck it's going to be a long night,"

"Should've thought of that before you slit his throat. There are much cleaner ways,"

"Listen, don't give me your shit." I joke, "I was in the moment,"

Greyson laughs, "Yeah well that moment, is exactly why your ass can't complain,"

I nod, knowing he's right but the familiar rush of adrenaline mixed with the cold resolve that comes with cleaning up a mess like this, makes it all worth it. We move quickly, efficiently. Greyson and I have done this before, but this time it's different. This time, it's personal.

As we work, I fill him in on everything Stevie told me. About Sweet Dreams, the children, and how she escaped. My eyes drift to the bathroom door, where I know on the other side, Stevie is sitting vulnerable and scared in the tub. I can't let anyone else hurt her. Sweet Dreams may have taken everything from her, but I'm going to make sure they never touch her again.

We spend hours cleaning up the small apartment. Sweeping up the broken glass and repairing the sliding doors. We mop the floors, and dispose of the body, leaving no trace of the life taken here tonight. When we're done, Greyson looks at me, his expression serious. "This isn't just about you and her anymore, Lennox. If there's innocent kids involved, they need to be shut down. This is war."

"Oh I fucking know," I reply, my voice steely. "And we're going to win." Greyson nods, before heading out to his truck with the last of the shit. He'll take it all out to his farm house, and dispose of it so that nothing comes back to Stevie, or either of us.

I head back to the bathroom, pausing at the door. I need to be strong for her, to show her that she's not alone in this fight. Taking a deep breath, I open the door and step inside. The steam has thickened, and Stevie looks up at me, her eyes tired but grateful.

"It's taken care of," I say softly. "Now, let's get you cleaned up and then we'll figure out our next move."

She nods, a small but determined smile forming on her lips. Together, we'll face whatever comes next. And I'll make sure Sweet Dreams pays for every single thing they did to her.