Chapter 15

Two hours later, Colter slid the last of the lunch dishes into the dishwasher while Bridger turned from the fridge and handed him a bottle of water. "She's out cold," he whispered, nodding toward the couch where she was curled up in the corner. She had her knees pulled up to her chest under the sweatshirt.

Luckily, she'd managed to wear the clothing ever since he'd put it on her. She seemed pleased with his selection. He was pretty sure she'd pulled her arms out of the sleeves and was in a mostly naked ball inside the cotton cocoon, but that was okay. Progress.

"Nathaniel will be here in a few minutes," Colter said as he advanced on Bridger. He set his water on the counter before taking Bridger's and doing the same with his. And then he pulled him into his arms. "You okay, love?"

"Oddly, yes. You?"

Colter nodded and then kissed his partner on the neck before playfully biting his earlobe. He loved the way Bridger's hands gripped his hips and how his breath hitched. "Something about having Summer in the house makes me feel all growly and possessive of you."

Bridger whimpered softly. "Is that so?"

"Definitely. I love watching you with her. I love how you hold her and nurture her."

"It doesn't bother you?" Bridger asked hesitantly.

Colter leaned back. "Not a bit. Did you not feel the same zing of connection I felt when she came on our fingers?"

Bridger smiled. "Oh, I felt it. Trust me."

"How will we let her go?"

"What if we don't have to?"

Colter set his forehead against Bridger's. "She needs us to help her get better and then let her make her own choices."

"Maybe we could be her choice," Bridger suggested, his voice hopeful.

"Maybe." Colter grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed. "Stay grounded with me, love. We might not get to keep her in the end."

"I know," Bridger murmured.

"Do you have any idea how badly I want to throw you on the bed, strip your clothes off, and fuck you so hard you scream?"

Bridger's breath hitched, and he rocked his hips forward so that his rigid shaft brushed against Colter's equally hard erection.

Colter reached a hand down between them and palmed his partner's shaft through his jeans. "Behave, love."

Bridger chuckled. "If I don't?"

Colter growled. He'd always been more dominant than Bridger, but ever since last night, he'd felt a constant hum just beneath his skin, a need to dominate his lover. It was consuming him and making him flex his fingers.

"I can smell your arousal," Bridger murmured.

"No, you can't," Colter countered. "But I have no doubt my nostrils are flared."

Bridger chuckled. As he slid his hands around to cup Colter's fine ass, the cell phone in Colter's back pocket vibrated. He reached in and pulled it out for him.

Colter smirked as he looked at the screen. "Nathaniel is here." He gave Bridger a quick kiss on the lips and headed toward the elevator.

As soon as the elevator opened, Nathaniel strolled out. He was wearing a dark gray suit, complete with a tie and jacket. He pointed over his shoulder. "What's with the added security at the elevator?"

Colter rubbed his hands on the front of his jeans. "Long story. You're about to hear it. Thanks for coming."

"Anytime."

Nathaniel had been their attorney for eight years. He knew everything about them. Over the years, the three of them had grown to have far more than a working relationship. They were friends, but this was still going to be a tough conversation.

"Hey, Nathaniel, thanks for coming," Bridger repeated as he joined them. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Nope. I'm fine. I just had lunch with a client after spending the morning in court. Is it quitting time yet?" he joked.

"Not even close, I'm sorry to say," Colter informed him.

Nathaniel's brows furrowed. "Do you have some sort of legal trouble?"

"I hope not." Colter turned and pointed toward the couch where Summer was still curled in a ball, sleeping. He hated to wake her, but they were going to need to.

"There's a woman on your couch," Nathaniel said.

Colter chuckled. "No shit?" He nodded in her direction. "Come. You need to meet her, and then you need to tell us we aren't breaking any laws."

"Fuck," Nathaniel muttered under his breath. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?"

"Because you're not," Bridger added.

Colter set a hand on Bridger's back and guided him toward Summer. "She calms better when you're the one soothing her."

Bridger glanced at him. "I don't think you have enough data to be sure of that."

Colter shrugged. "We'll see."

"My curiosity is piqued," Nathaniel said as he dropped into an armchair and leaned his computer bag on the floor next to the right side. "Am I going to need to take notes?"

"Definitely," Colter confirmed.

Nathaniel wasn't smiling anymore as he removed his laptop and opened it.

Colter guided Bridger toward Summer, keeping a hand on his partner's back as he carefully scooped her up and turned to sit in the spot where she'd been resting.

The soft purr she made did nothing to help Colter with his erection issue. He sat next to Bridger and draped an arm behind his shoulders on the back of the sofa.

Bridger cupped Summer's face. "Nathaniel is here, baby," he said softly.

She blinked at him. "Oh." She slowly turned her head to discover the newcomer, coming more awake with every passing second until she pushed herself to a more seated position on Bridger's lap. She sat up on one of his thighs with her feet tucked between his legs, her toes under the opposite thigh.

"Summer, this is Nathaniel Winston, our lawyer. Nathaniel, meet Summer."

Nathaniel's brows were furrowed, but he nodded toward her. "Nice to meet you."

Colter drew his shoulders back. "Let me give you the Cliff's Notes version of the last twenty hours to bring you up to date."

Nathaniel nodded.

"You're aware of Bridger's batshit-crazy grandfather."

Nathaniel smirked and then groaned. "Now I know I'm not going to like this."

"Not a bit. No. Anyway, the man is on his deathbed, but in his moments of lucidity, he has hair-brained ideas. This latest one takes the cake. He decided the only way he would let Bridger inherit his wealth would be if Bridger agreed to leave me, marry a woman, and produce an heir."

Nathaniel growled.

Colter continued. "To aid in this proposal, he purchased Summer through the dark web."

Nathaniel sat up straighter, nearly letting his laptop slide off his knees before he caught it. "What the fuck?"

Bridger nodded. "That was basically our reaction. But it's true. We found her waiting in the pool house, chained to the bed, naked, and scared out of her mind."

Nathaniel's eyes bugged out, and his mouth fell open.

Colter dropped his hand from around his partner's shoulders to set it on Summer's knees. "She was kidnapped sixteen months ago and trained as a sex slave. Obviously, we removed the fucking chains and the collar she was wearing, got her the fuck out of there, and brought her here."

"Have you called the police?"

Summer whimpered.

Bridger hugged her closer with an arm around her waist. "No. The person who abducted her in the first place was a police officer. She's scared to death to go to the authorities."

"She needs medical care," Nathaniel pointed out.

Colter shook his head. "She needs mental healthcare. She wasn't injured, nor was she raped."

Nathaniel stared at her blankly.

Shocking Colter, Summer spoke for herself. "We were trained to serve a Master, but we were sold in perfect condition…untouched," she said, whispering that last word.

"Oh." Nathaniel ran a hand down his face. "Jesus," he muttered.

"She has nothing. No ID. No money. Not even clothes. Undoubtedly, her apartment was rented to someone else when she disappeared, and her belongings would have been disposed of."

"Do you have family that might be looking for you, Summer?" Nathaniel asked.

She shook her head.

"Her parents passed four years ago. She was living in an apartment in Denver when she was kidnapped."

"Would anyone have filed a missing person's report?"

She shrugged. "I doubt it. I was kind of a loner. I didn't have close friends. I was…" Whatever she'd been thinking, she didn't finish.

Nathaniel tapped the pad on his laptop. "What's your last name, Summer? I'll shoot off an email to someone who can look in the system and see if you were reported missing."

"I'm sure I wasn't reported," she murmured.

Colter frowned. How could she know that? "Maybe a neighbor or the landlord?"

She sighed. "Not likely." She looked at Nathaniel. "My last name is Haskell."

Instead of dipping his head and typing, Nathaniel stared at her, eyes narrowed.

Summer jerked her body toward Bridger, buried her face in his shoulder, and raised her arms against her chest.

"Summer Haskell?" Nathaniel asked. "OhmyGod. You're Richard and Marlene Haskell's daughter."

She sniffled and said nothing.

"Jesus, fuck." Nathaniel set the laptop on the coffee table and stood.

"You know her?" Bridger asked.

"Her parents were clients of mine. I managed the estate when they died." He ran both hands through his hair. "Jesus," he repeated. "Sweetheart, I've met you before. It was years ago, but you were with your parents in my office once. I should've recognized you. I've never seen anyone besides you and your mother with hair that shade of almost black and those green eyes."

Colter cleared his throat. "Well, that's an interesting coincidence."

Nathaniel ignored him. His gaze was on Summer. Seconds ticked by before he spoke softly. "After your parents' estate was settled, I tried to contact you, but you'd vanished."

Colter's throat tightened. Summer had been through so much even before she'd been abducted.

"Do you still play?" Nathaniel asked, his voice even softer.

Play? Colter glanced at Bridger, who looked just as perplexed.

Summer shook her head without looking at anyone.

Colter slid his hand up to stroke her hair. "Play what, honey?"

She unfolded one arm, stuck it out, and pointed toward the music corner.

Bridger kissed the top of her head. "You play the piano, baby?"

She seemed to hold her breath.

Nathaniel responded. "She's a prodigy. She can play anything. Sings like an angel, too."

Colter gasped.

Summer started trembling again. She did that a lot, especially when she grew overwhelmed. Finally, she pushed off Bridger's shoulder and wiped her wet eyes. "I couldn't face music anymore after my parents died, and I hated the spotlight. It was their thing. They were performers. I know I have talent, but I hated performing. When they died, I just wanted to be normal, so I took off, got an apartment, and started waitressing. I was sort of hiding from the world."

"I'm so sorry, baby," Bridger said.

She shrugged. "At least I managed to have anonymity for a while, but I was too awkward to make friends—not any real ones. I spent my entire childhood traveling with my parents. I never went to public school. My friends were adults who were paid to watch me. I used to throw up on performance nights. I hated singing in front of people. I hated playing even more."

"You have money, sweetheart," Nathaniel informed her. "A trust. It's in my care."

She turned to look at him. "I never really thought about it. It took me a long time to get over the guilt."

"Why did you feel guilty, honey?" Colter asked.

She sighed. "I hated my life. Did my parents die because I hated my life? I loved my parents, but then they were gone, and I was only eighteen. I felt like I willed it."

Bridger sucked in a breath. "You didn't, baby. It's not your fault."

"Yeah? Then how do you explain the way I've been punished?"

Colter's heart nearly stopped. "Honey, you are not being punished. Someone preyed on you. It had nothing to do with how you felt about performing."

She shrugged noncommittally. "You don't know that."

Bridger gripped her hip. "Summer, what I know after having you for only a few hours is that you have been dealt a shitty hand over and over. I know none of it was your fault. And I know your luck changed when I walked through the door last night and found you chained to that bed."

Colter set his hand on top of Bridger's, squeezing to show his agreement. "You're here. You're safe. No one is going to hurt you again. We're going to help you." He glanced at Nathaniel. "Tell me we're not breaking any laws."

Nathaniel lowered back into the armchair. "You're not breaking any laws. There's nothing that says the victim of a crime has to report it."

Colter released a breath. "That's what I thought."

"Glad you called me, though, because Summer has a trust."

Summer fiddled with her hands in her lap. "So, I could get a hotel or something for a while and then an apartment?"

Colter stiffened. "No."

Bridger flinched. "I'm not sure his tone was appropriate, but no."

Nathaniel's eyes grew wide. "I assume the reason you have a new man on guard downstairs is because you're worried about whoever trafficked her."

"Yes. Don't you think we should be?" Colter asked.

"I'm not sure. I'll need more details. How was the transaction accomplished?"

Colter turned to Summer. He wasn't positive about the details surrounding her sale.

"What do you know, baby?" Bridger asked.

She looked at her knees. "I know we were sold before the actual auction. It wasn't really an auction. It was more of a demonstration of our skills. We were blindfolded, so I can't be sure how many people were there, but I think it was all for show. Master J often had men come to the house. We were on display for them every time. I assume they were there to examine the merchandise and that some of the buyers would have been among those men."

"What happened at the auction, sweetheart?" Nathaniel asked. "When did it take place?"

"Two nights ago. We went through a series of poses for the entertainment of the men. And then we…" She shuddered. Stopped.

"It's okay, baby," Bridger whispered.

"When we left, the man who I thought was my owner stuffed me on the floor behind the front seat of his car. He told me he would go easy on me if I was good and didn't make a sound. I don't know what that meant, but a while later, he stopped, carried me to the house where Bridger and Colter later found me, and chained me to the bed. He said I could remove the mask as soon as he was gone and that he was not my owner. Bridger Arnoult was my owner."

Colter was struggling to control his emotions. He also knew she'd left some details out. He wouldn't push her. "We weren't aware she was there for almost twenty-four hours. She waited, chained by the neck to the bed. Luckily, she could reach the bathroom. She had water and a toilet. She had no food."

Nathaniel rubbed his chin. "And you think a police officer originally kidnapped you?"

Summer nodded. "Yes. He was staying in the Airbnb across the hall from me. I was easy prey."

"Okay. I can understand why you'd be leery about calling the police then. How many women were sold that night?"

"Six."

"Do you know their names?" Nathaniel asked.

"No. We were all given the names of poisonous flowers by Master J. We also weren't permitted to speak to each other. We didn't dare get to know each other or become friends. The punishment for talking was severe." She shuddered.

Colter wondered what the hell kind of punishments she'd endured, considering she was never harmed or raped, but he didn't ask. She would tell them when she was ready.

"What were the flowers?" Nathaniel asked.

"Marigold, Oleander, Jasmine, Tulip, Lily, and me, Daffodil."

"I can do some digging," Nathaniel suggested.

Summer jerked to sit straighter and looked at him. "No. Don't. Please. I beg you. If Master J ever finds out I'm not doing what I was trained to do, he will…" She gulped, fear so evident in her eyes it was palpable. "Please don't tell anyone. You said I don't have to report it." Her voice rose with each word.

"Okay, sweetheart," he said, holding up a hand. "But I want you to think about it. If you change your mind, I can at least do some digging to see if I can find any of the other women."

She shook her head. "You'd never find them. They were sold to Masters. Their lives are ruined. No one will ever find them. Master J was very thorough."

"And yet, you've escaped in a way," Nathaniel pointed out.

She shook her head. "I'll never escape."