Chapter 12

Twelve

Aster

M y eyebrows pop up at the smile on Viper's face when he walks into the room.

Cocky bastard.

My heart pounds, and my bound feet want to connect with his gut.

His muscular body bulges and flexes under that pricey dress shirt as he crosses the room. He's stripped off his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves to reveal the colorful tattoos I don't remember him having.

And buried amongst the leaves and barbed wire is a golden key. I decide to stare at a safer point in the center of his chest, given how hot the new ink looks on all that gorgeous, tanned skin. New words were thrown around tonight. Key bearer and key master. I file them away to get details from my cousin later. After I kick his ass for putting me in this situation to begin with.

"I see you're still mad, baby girl."

You think , my glare screams, since my mouth is currently stuffed with one of their silk ties. I sit up and immediately regret it when my vision fills with floating dots and the room spins.

"It's all the blood that went to your head when you were upside down over my shoulder."

Not an ounce of remorse hangs on his words. But there is plenty of pride.

Like I said, bastard. I rear back and aim low but he easily catches my kick before it can land.

My eyes narrow into slits, which has him dropping my ankles and raising his hands in defense.

"I know. Mia culpa . Give yourself a minute." The sexy way he winks at me is just another layer of arrogance. Just because I'm in his bed, he thinks he's won.

His hand returns to my ankles in a firm grip, but not painful.

With his other, he pushes wild strands of hair from my face, giving me a close-up view of the new ink. I see it. Tucked in between a heart encased in flames and a dagger piercing is my name on his left arm.

My gaze lifts to his, and he slowly drops his hand.

"I got that in Mexico. A tiny shop in the middle of the smallest town on earth." He speaks slowly, as if he's remembering the pain. "It took four sessions to do both sleeves. Maybe I'll show you sometime." His playful, yet sad brush of knuckles over my cheek does things to the tethers around my heart.

I stop struggling to hold his gaze and that is when I feel the web of my emotions gently seek his.

My brain says make the asshole pay, but my body morphs from cold to hot in less than three seconds.

Viper settles his substantial weight on the side of the bed, and drags me to his side.

"Those blue laser beams are cutting me to the soul, baby girl. We only tied you up for your own safety. I've never seen someone fight against being rescued." He shakes his head, and that smile turns into a perplexed grimace.

I didn't realize I was still glowering at him.

"FWUUK YUWW!"

This gag is ridiculous. This rope is starting to burn. And I need to pee. I inhale sharply through my nose and try to keep my anger at boiling point, but I was never good at staying mad at Viper for long. I suspect the other two know it and sent him in as the mediator.

I jerk on the rope tying my hands to my feet.

"Are you done? We have some things we need to talk about. Like your marriage status. But if you can't settle down, I won't untie you."

Done? Never. I'll never give up fighting, but scowling takes a lot of work and my face is getting tired.

I nod.

His tight expression says he doesn't entirely believe me. But that ever-present mischievous smile slithering across his lips says he hopes for more fight in me.

"I'm going to untie you. There are some things we have to take care of for you to stay here. And then we all need to talk. Agreed?"

Mirsha and Luther finally decide to work their way back into the room. Luther comes to stand at the side of the bed with a bottle of water and a cloth while Mirsha uses the doorway to hold himself upright.

Both look about as mean as the snake coiled around Viper's shoulders, and that is just fine by me.

There are a lot of points I want to get across the second my lips can move. Tied up and gagged isn't helping my cause. And really, what the fuck else am I going to do? If I keep fighting them, they will just leave me here.

A few tugs and I'm set free. I yank the gag out just in time to see a curvy, petite blonde Barbie walk in with kind eyes and not a single glance for any of the men. She pushes Mirsha out of the way and heads straight for me.

In some other world and an entirely different day, I think we would become fast friends. Her take-no-shit-despite-her-size attitude makes her BBF material.

She's decked out in the cutest leather skirt and a sparkly top reveals big boobs and a tiny waist. Long blond hair dips to her hips and those thigh-high boots add some inches to her five-foot height.

She sticks out one hand while the other clutches a leather-bound book I remember signing the last time I was here. If I don't sign, I can't stay. The men will be forced to let me leave.

"Hi. Welcome to The Gilded Key Society. I'm Magnolia." Southern charm winds around her words. Georgia, maybe. Savannah, I figure. Her eyes are only for me and the ropes tangling around my feet and hands. And let's not forget the discarded tie.

"Do you need help? Are you okay? If club rules have been broken, I need to call management."

The serious tone of her voice makes me peer over her shoulder to see if any men in black suits have barged into the room.

"Yeah, no. We're good. Just some fun and games." I want to be the one to kick their asses. I don't need any help in that department.

I toss my bindings off my wrists and throw my legs over the side of the bed.

I take her hand and instantly know she is way too soft for a place like this. She must have someone or a lot of someones guarding her around the clock. "Magnolia, right?"

She nods and Mirsha goes back to leaning his Herculean shoulders on the dark door frame again. The way he crosses his arms pulls nicely at the expensive cotton of his shirt. Memories of all those muscles holding me close are only a tug away.

But, no.

Eyes to yourself, missy. I can't go down the road of wishful thinking.

To keep from passing out, I slowly push to my feet and wait a couple of beats before taking a step toward the bedroom door.

Luther and Viper reach out to steady me and her attention zeroes in on how they take my elbow, without taking control over me. I notice it and file that away to analyze later. When I am back in Chicago kicking my cousin's ass and then finding a way to free myself from marrying Joseph Romanov.

Ugh , acid reflux is strong with that name.

I point to the book in Magnolia's hand. "If you're here for me to sign that thing, you are wasting your time. I won't be staying. I've been here before. It didn't go well. Believe it or not, these three left me where I stood, so I'm kinda not so thrilled about getting dumped again."

Pink lips flatline in anger for me, I assume. "I see."

No, she doesn't, but I don't have the energy or desire to rehash past events. "I don't mean to be rude, but I won't be staying long. In fact, I'll be leaving now. Can someone call me a cab?"

Magnolia puckers her perfectly painted pink lips, obviously perplexed by my refusal. I mean, Luther, Viper and Mirsha have lines of women wanting a chance at them. I've witnessed it. To her, I must be crazy to walk away. That and I'm sure Magnolia doesn't get unwilling participants often.

"I can. Come with—" she starts before being cut off.

"And where will you go? Back to your husband-to-be? I'm sure your father will have no problem holding the same gun to your head while he makes sure you say your vows."

Rumbling thunder punctuates Mirsha's words before reaching out to rattle the glass doors behind the thick, black drapes. That's right. I remember there's more than one way out of this box.

Acid pours over Mirsha's taunt to bubble and fester in my mind.

I mimic his stance and cock a hip. "As a matter of fact, yes, godfather. I can handle my own. I didn't want to come here any more than you wanted me to come. I am only darkening your door because of my idiot cousin. I need to get back to Chicago." How else will I kill Joseph and claim freedom once and for all? As much as I hate to admit it, I see no other option than to take out a contract on the man and Harlon owes me at least that much. I wanted to operate the undertaker floor of Genesis, not be a client, but life has a funny way of changing directions on you.

I try to hold that thought and any other random item running through my mind and not focus on the way my godfather looks like a beast prowling my way.

Mirsha takes several steps in my direction. "You can leave the book on the table in the sitting room. We will?—"

"Nope. Not quite how it works, big guy."

Oh, burn!

Magnolia plants a hand in the middle of the villain's chest and stops the big baddie in his tracks. He puts eyeballs on her hand and then on me and then back to the woman's hand. Like he can't believe he actually obeyed her any more than I do.

I give him one of my Genesis greetings smiles—all teeth and fake happiness. "Good boy," I praise, returning the jab from the car ride here.

His glower and simmering irritation pulling at the edges of his mouth and eyes are a sweet prize to behold.

I wink at Magnolia. Girl power.

She throws a quick look at Viper and Luther, where they are sentries at my sides. As if someone or something will swoop in and pluck me from the middle of the Society if they dare move.

Or they are scared I will bolt for the sliding doors behind those curtains the second they leave me alone. Both plausible reasons considering how protective they were of me all my life.

"I am calling on The Gilded Key's Society's automatic removal of the men from the room. Obey me, or you three will have your membership revoked."

Whoa. This little spitfire packs a punch!

"I think I would like to see that happen given it's tattooed on their arms."

"It's painful, for sure," Magnolia confirms.

Luther's firm lips widen into a grin that has left my panties melted on more than one occasion. Warm fingers brush the dip in my back before working down to get a handful of my ass. His grip is fucking toe-curling.

"I like her," he grunts, looking at me before he turns a serious face to my new sister, even though she doesn't know it yet.

"You and Aster must share blood somewhere down the line. Fucking ball crushers, the both of you."

Viper shifts his weight from one foot to another like he's about to heed her words. Wrong. Right when I think he's going to walk away, the fucking bastard catches me off guard. Arms made of iron wrap around me and I'm hauled up several feet until my lips are within reach without him bending down.

"We will be right outside. Please run so I can catch you and fuck you in the wet grass under our tree."

What? Wait. Oh, that's tempting.

"Gentlemen. Now." Magnolia enjoys throwing around her dainty one hundred and twenty pounds. Thank God, too. Viper's offer is way too good to decline.

My eyebrows rise along with a fresh wave of heat to hit my cheeks. "You better listen. I have a feeling she has a black belt or two she hasn't disclosed."

Luther tips my chin his way. "This room is on lockdown, baby girl. You're not getting away from us." Luther's lips brush over mine, like a fond memory.

My eyes dip to his chin and then I find Viper's gaze again. "I wasn't the one who ran the last time."

With those slashing words, Viper places a tender kiss on my cheek fused with love. God, I don't want to think about it, but it's hard to deny. And I think I sense regret, too.

"I know, baby. I know."

Careful that I don't lose my balance, the enormous mountain of a man slowly places me back on my feet and follows his friends out of the room.

Mirsha angles his head and catches my gaze. All that molten steel swirling behind those thick black lashes tells me we are not finished. Not by a long shot.

With the door closed, I brush by Magnolia and swoosh open the heavy curtains. "Thanks for that," I offer hurriedly. Black peels aside to reveal more black in the sky with slashes of light here and there. UGH. The storm. Shit.

Willow branches flutter in the wind and flashes of lightning filter through the night's sky.

A summer storm is about to release its wrath. I either go now, or get caught in a downpour.

"Why are you running?"

That has my jerky, rushed movements slowing.

With my arms wound tightly around my middle, I face Magnolia and for the first time I want to cry in front of another woman. The water rimming my eyes would devastate my mother. Never let them see you weak, is her motto. But my emotions are just too much to keep locked away.

"It hurts to be close to them." I pause a minute because I've confessed none of this to another soul. She has a genuine kindness about her and something tells me what I say here tonight stays between us.

"For a long time, I have lived under the thumb of another person. My father, my family. Even my godfathers, in a way. Mirsha, Luther and Viper watched over me as I grew up and sometimes know me better than my parents." I draw my lip between my teeth knowing how this next part will sound. "Don't judge okay, because that is going to make me and them sound fucked up. But years went by, I got older and on my sixteenth birthday I realized I was in love with my godfathers. A couple of years later, I lured them into a garden much like this one and we nearly went all the way."

"Ballsy."

I nod and cut the story in half not wanting to ugly cry in front of my new friend. "Yeah. I thought so too. There's more, but instead of protecting my love, they dropped it, stepped on it and left it where it fell to die. So I can't trust them with my heart. Not again. They walked, and that pain has never left."

Magnolia moves to me and the slight touch of her hand on my elbow forms a bridge between the chaos inside me and the calm in her eyes.

"I don't know a lot. I was sheltered to the point of reckless naivety growing up. For so long I thought it was normal for a guardian to beat his wife and adopted children. I didn't know how to navigate the world alone for a long time. I still don't, really. Some bad people did some bad things to me and that was after I escaped my guardian."

Now it's my turn to comfort her. I move my hand over hers. We sit on the corner of the bed, both letting our pasts permeate our thoughts.

"But that is not the point here. I just wanted you to understand that I know pain too and you can trust me with your story."

"Thank you for sharing yours with me." I hold a hand out. "I'm Aster, by the way."

"Aster. Pretty name."

She takes my hand, and we sit like old friends for a second. "Believe it or not, I have been where you are. I've loved, too. I trusted men much like yours. After they showed me what love could look like, I got scared it was just another form of a cage so I ran."

My heart weeps for her. "What scared you?" Luther, Viper and Mirsha are a lot of things but my jailers is not one of them. Her yearning for her men is so thick I can practically feel the connection with my bare hands. Did she fear them? Did they hurt her? The only thing I fear from my three are the lashes they will leave on my heart. Have left on my heart.

"Magnolia? Did they hurt you?"

"The opposite. They loved too hard. My point is, don't let fear keep you from finding happiness. I wish I had someone to tell me that before I ran. There's not exactly a club for the morning after this place happens, if you know what I mean. And now they have moved on."

I do understand. "The last time I was here, I thought my life was complete. All I had to do was make sure they wanted me in that way. Falling in love with your godfathers doesn't come with a handbook, ya know?" I tuck the edge of my lip between my teeth before releasing the tortured flesh.

"Are you so sure they don't love you? I mean, they went through the trouble of tying you up."

"I think they love me, but they hold more respect for my father than love for me. Or did." Magnolia has a fair point. Me being here might mean things have changed. But the pain they have caused is still very real.

She is quiet for a moment before pushing to her feet. She gathers the book and shows it to me. "If you sign this, you might find out if that is still the case. Things change for everyone. Circumstances, feelings and relationships. Romantic and otherwise. But I see the love you have for them. It's in the way you keep looking at the door and the way you keep rubbing at your chest. I ran from my feelings. Don't run from yours."

She seems too young to have suffered so much pain. Then again, look at me.

I don't know what comes over me, but I pull the woman into my arms and hug her so tight I can feel the friendship forming between us.

Tears warm the edges of my eyes when we pull apart and I can see the same is for her.

"I think fate sent you to me. But I have to admit, I'm scared."

"Aren't we all?"