Chapter 4

4

Penny

I 'm afraid. Not just because of these hulking, giant men strong-arming me back to the creepy cabin in the dark, dark woods, but because thunder is really freaking scary.

That's right. I'm twenty-eight years old and terrified of thunderstorms. It's not embarrassing at all.

And these guys—they should be the more immediate threat. The one who cuffed me is probably six-three and he's built like a tank—wide torso, muscles for eternity. He has a short beard that makes him look distinguished despite the brutish muscles. There's gray at his temples and a pronounced scowl line between his brows. I'd guess he's in his mid-thirties.

The other one is just about as big as the first. His face is clean-shaven and his dark brown hair doesn't have any gray. His blue eyes have crinkles that make it seem like he smiles a lot, although right now he's frowning at me.

When thunder rumbles in the distance, I try not to cringe.

Mistaking my hesitation for resistance, the older guy tugs on my shoulder to encourage me to move faster. Not expecting that, I stumble.

"You're really making this difficult," he grumbles, steadying me.

His voice is almost as deep as the rumbling thunder, but it isn't scary in the slightest. Instead, it's comforting.

What is wrong with me? These two men are practically dragging me to a deserted cabin out in the middle of nowhere, and I'm feeling the flickers of attraction. Did my time with Clive teach me nothing?

It seems to take us forever to reach the cabin. The younger guy goes inside and shines a flashlight around. He returns a second later. "All clear."

I'm eager to get inside and out of the storm. But I don't know these guys, and they want to hand me over to Clive.

Maybe they'll fall asleep and I can sneak out.

Once we're inside, my captor lets me go like he can't wait to break contact with me. I'm still wearing his jacket over my shoulders, and something about his gesture to get away from me pisses me off. I shrug out of the jacket and let it fall to the floor before picking it up and tossing it on the bed.

The room is dimly lit by the eerie glow of a flashlight set on top of the dresser and pointing toward the wall. It throws warped shadows over everyone.

"Aren't you cold?" the younger guy asks, dropping his duffel to the side.

"Not really," I lie.

"I can give you an extra shirt."

"No thanks."

He eyes my goosebumps without a word, then starts shaking out the blankets on the flimsy-looking cot.

"What are you doing?" I ask, alarmed.

"If we're staying the night here, we may as well be comfortable," he says.

"I'm not sleeping with you," I say.

He looks offended, his pale eyes wide. Are his eyes blue, or gray? I can't tell in the dim light. "Penny, please. We aren't monsters."

"If you take me back to Clive, you are."

"We already discussed this," the older guy says. "We'll take you to Ironwood and figure things out from there."

He doesn't trust me—I can see it in his dark brown eyes. It's why he didn't want to touch me longer than necessary.

"Here you go," the younger guy says, patting the cot and stepping away from it. "All yours."

"Can you take off the cuffs at least?" I ask.

"Okay—"

"No," the older guy says.

The younger one gives me a regretful look. "Sorry, Penny. Roark always has a giant stick up his ass, it isn't just you."

The older guy, Roark, I guess is his name, grumbles under his breath. He's stern enough, I wonder if he's a daddy dom. I've read books and fantasized about them, and he seems like he would be a good fit for the role.

Yep. In a different situation, I could call him Daddy .

"By the way, I'm Cameron," the younger one says. "That asshole over there is Roark. We work for Ironwood Security, and we're good guys."

"Good guys who work for bad guys," I mutter. "Plus, Roark is an asshole."

Cameron snickers, but Roark gives me a dark look.

"Watch it," Roark says. "Don't make tonight harder than it has to be."

I want to stick out my tongue, but that's an immature and totally unnecessary response. Something about his frown, half- hidden behind his handsome beard, makes me want to push his buttons.

I ignore the impulse. I don't know these guys, and while they're less terrifying than the guy who tried to attack me, and they're less terrifying than the storm that's starting to rage outside, they're still terrifying.

At Cameron's nod of encouragement, I sit down on the cot. It's awkward with my bound wrists, but I manage to lie down and get the blanket up and over my shoulders. Cameron looks like he wants to smooth it out for me, but he takes one look at Roark and seems to change his mind.

A clap of thunder shakes the cabin. I stifle my cry of fear and burrow my head under the blanket. My heart is beating a thousand times per minute. When lightning flashes again, so bright I can see it from behind the thin fabric, I gasp. The thunder will be next.

Sure enough, there isn't much of a wait—thunder bellows and shakes the cabin again.

I can't do this. I can't be here. This storm is going to kill us all.

Cameron says to Roark, "I'll take first watch."

I don't peer out of my blanket fortress, but I hear Roark moving his bulky body around. "Fine. But do not, under any circumstances, remove her handcuffs. She already tried to run once."

"Got it, got it," Cameron says.

The flashlight clicks off, and the faint glow beyond my blanket disappears.

I listen to the rain slashing at the cracked windows and the drip-drip of a leak coming through the ceiling somewhere. The wind howls, as if the other violent sounds aren't bad enough.

Minutes feel like hours.

Lightning flashes again, followed immediately by the loudest clap of thunder I've ever heard in my life. I roll into a tighter ball, trying to make myself as small as possible.

"Hey," a soft voice says. Cameron. "Penny. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I say, sounding almost as miserable as I feel.

"You don't seem okay," he says. "I'm going to sit on the edge of the bed. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

Cameron

She doesn't tell me to go fuck myself, so I consider it a win and sit on the edge of the cot. It creaks under my weight, but holds me.

Penny is shivering beneath the blanket, but I don't think she's cold—I think she's scared.

"Would it help if I turned on the light again?" I ask.

She rolls over to her other side, refusing to speak. Then I realize she isn't shivering—she's crying.

"Penny," I whisper, shooting a look toward Roark, whose eyes are closed. I can't tell if he's sleeping. Probably not. "Penny, what is it?"

Just then, thunder pounds so loud, it's like the earth is shaking. Penny's entire form seems to contract underneath the blanket.

She's scared of the storm.

"Hey," I say. "Hey, it's okay."

"It's not," she says, sniffling.

"Come here."

"Where? I'm as close as possible—you're crowding me on this bed—" Her grumbling complaint ends in a frightened gasp when a new flash of lightning illuminates the room.

"Here," I say, tugging her so she's sitting next to me.

I pull the blanket around her shoulders and tuck her into my side, but tears continue to stream from her eyes. Another loud thunderclap, and she sobs.

That's it. I can't take it for another second.

"Please let me hold you," I say.

As soon as she nods, I tug her into my lap and wrap my arms around her. She fits easily against me like this. Perfectly. Her head is tucked in the crook of my shoulder. Goddamn, it's unreal how good she feels huddled in my embrace. The curve of her luscious ass against me makes me hard, but I will my cock to stand down. She doesn't need that—at least not now.

After a long moment, she begins to relax. Even during the next clap of thunder, she doesn't flinch and hide like she was before.

"Thank you," she whispers.

"Of course, baby girl," I say. "I mean, Penny. Shit. Sorry."

"I don't mind," she says quietly.

The words just rolled off my tongue. Baby girl . Maybe I was thinking too much earlier about seeing Roark enact scenes at Low Vice.

I've enacted scenes of my own at Low Vice. Always with another girl, and never teaming up with a guy. But being in this cabin with Penny and Roark has my mind spinning with filthy thoughts.

Eventually, we fall asleep. I know I'm supposed to be on watch, but I don't need to stay awake while my arms are wrapped around her. I'll wake up if she moves.

Roark's gruff voice wakes me.

"Well, don't you two look fucking cozy over there."

Roark

It's telling that Cameron doesn't let her go when I speak up. One hour with her? Two? And he's in fucking deep. I can see how besotted he is, like some simpy teenager.

And if I'm being honest, I can see why he's besotted. She's a beautiful woman in distress. She's obviously strong and brave by coming all this way alone. Stubborn and determined, too.

Did I mention beautiful? Those brown eyes of hers are mesmerizing, and the way her short haircut exposes that pretty neck makes me imagine putting a collar there and calling her mine.

As soon as I get her safe, that is.

She could be manipulating us, though. This could be her trick—make herself seem vulnerable and defenseless. When we least expect it, she'll smash our skulls in and run.

She's huddled in Cameron's lap, though, and she doesn't look any more harmful than a little girl.

No. I have to remember the assignment. And the assignment is to get the girl and get the information she stole.

We have the girl. Where is the information?

Her backpack lies on the floor next to me. I unzip the main compartment and empty its contents over the floor.

"You have to do that now?" Cameron asks.

"Where are the files you stole from Oberon?" I ask, my gaze hard on Penny.

She shrinks against Cameron. "You're not going to find them."

I sift through the items on the floor. Clothing—a couple of tank tops and pairs of underwear. Lacy, I try not to note. Groceries, which make my stomach clench angrily in hunger.

Satisfied I've missed nothing, I check the smaller compartment on the pack, only to find tampons, lip gloss, and several elastic hair ties. Notably lacking are a phone, thumb drive, or anything else that could store electronic files.

Fine. She might not want it to be easily found. I run my fingers over the seams of the backpack, of her clothing, even her panties.

Not gonna lie, I linger longer than necessary on her undergarments. It isn't the worst thing I've ever done.

"Really?" Her voice is laden with disapproval. "My underwear?"

Ignoring the question, I toss her garments to the side and eye the little princess up and down. "Where are you hiding it?"

She tugs the blanket more tightly around her shoulders and clings to Cameron.

For his part, Cameron started easing the blanket off of her. "If you're hiding a flash drive somewhere, baby, you're better off just handing it over."

"What—what are you saying?" Her voice trembles.

"He's saying we'll strip you down, find the drive, then spank you for the trouble you put us through," I say.

With a derisive snort, she says, "I had you pegged as a daddy dom from the start."

I keep my face expressionless, not wanting her to see my surprise. She knows what a daddy dom is? And she thinks I'm one?

She's right.