Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Derrick

Fear.

Being able to watch someone in the throes of fear was always delicious, and never more so than when coming from a woman. Gazing at two pairs of eyes staring back, glittering bright with pure, unadulterated terror, was more rewarding than I'd anticipated. I couldn't let it cloud my judgment right now, though. First things first.

"I know your first inclination," I began, "is going to be to scream, and your second to run. Please don't. In regard to the first, no one will hear you from here, and for the second, I don't want to have to do what you'll force me to if you take off."

Neither girl said a word, their bodies frozen, pupils blown wide as their eyes remained fixed on me. A moment passed in shocked stillness.

"Good. I'd hoped we could start this off without having to resort to violence."

"What do you want?" It was the daughter, Sonja, who spoke, her voice tight.

"It's very simple." I took another step toward them. "I'm here to do a job. That's all. Now, to do that job, I'm going to need your assistance, but if we all work together, I'm sure we can get through this and soon be on our way."

"A… job."

"Yes."

"Do you work for my father?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm afraid my saying I was friend of your father's was simply a ruse to buy me some time to make sure no one else was here I wasn't aware of."

"My father will be back?—"

"Sonja, stop. He won't. I know your father is out of the country on business right now. He's not coming back until Monday. By then we'll be done, and I'll be long gone."

"My cousin Alex?—"

Enough of this. I went to her and brought up my handgun. "Do you seriously want to continue with these lies? Because if you do, how we proceed from this point forward can go in a completely different direction than I'd hoped for."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Then no more, okay?"

"Okay."

I turned to look at Aubrey. "And you, Ms. Taryn? Do you have any lies you want to get out of your system before we proceed?"

She gave a sharp shake of her head.

"Excellent." I turned back to Sonja, slowly lowering the weapon. "Now, as I said, I'm simply here to do my job."

"I have no way of getting into my father's safe," she blurted out.

I smiled. "I can understand why you might think that's what I need access to. But don't worry; I'm not here for his money."

She frowned. "I can't get on his computer either."

"I don't need you to."

She shot a glance at Aubrey before looking back. "I don't understand, then," she said in confusion. "What do you want?"

I gazed down. "You."

Her brows scrunched, eyes blinking as she processed what I'd just said. It took a few seconds before her body suddenly deflated, the portent behind my words taking hold. "Oh, god… You're going to kidnap me, aren't you?"

I held up my free hand. "Again, I can understand where you might think that an option, especially considering it's the crime du jour where your father's business associates come from, but… no, still not what I came here for."

"Then, what?" she cried.

I glanced around the poolside. "Before I tell you, I think we should move to someplace less out in the open and conspicuous."

Both women followed my gaze. As Sonja's eyes came back to mine, she licked her lips, her body tensing even further.

Don't try to be a hero, Ms. Delgado. Better to be smart and alive than brave and dead…

"If you wouldn't mind, please." I motioned to the sliding glass door that led into the house.

Sonja held herself balanced on the edge of her chaise then in a flash she started as I was afraid she might. Scrambling over the cushion of her chair, she landed on the other side, legs crooked to push off in a sprint for the patio gate.

It took me two quick strides to come up beside Aubrey, my hand fisting into her hair. She gave a sharp yelp of pain as I grasped her, and the sound brought Sonja to a halt, her body frozen in a half-crouch pointed toward the gate that led out from the patio.

"Ms. Delgado, I really wouldn't advise doing what I suspect you're thinking of doing. I assure you I'll have no problem splattering your pretty little friend's brains all over the poolside and still have enough time to get you, too."

"Sonja," Aubrey whimpered in a tone that made my cock kick in response.

Sonja hovered on the edge of fight-flight as I stood there silently, the barrel of the gun pressed tight to her friend's head.

"Please tell me what you want," she said softly, slowly standing up.

"I promise, I will. But…" I pointed again to the door. "Inside."

Still, she hesitated, which was not unexpected.

Time to make things perfectly clear.

I wrenched Aubrey's head savagely, strands of her hair ripping through my fingers. Where a moment ago she'd yelped, now she shrieked in agony as I shoved the weapon hard against her skull.

"Now," I growled coldly.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Sonja cried, holding up her hands in defeat. She began to back toward the house, but I remained where I was, gripping Aubrey as she sobbed.

When Sonja reached the door, she opened it, and I dragged Aubrey up with me, pushing her ahead toward the entry. Sonja moved inside and stopped as Aubrey and I closed the gap. Once through the door, I shoved her ahead, letting go of her hair as I did. She stumbled forward and Sonja caught her, holding her upright as she did.

I closed the sliding door behind me, glancing around. We were in an immaculate living room, a huge stone fireplace at one end, an enormous dark leather couch facing it. Cream-colored rugs dotted the flagstone flooring, offsetting the gray stones and walls of the room.

"This should do perfectly," I murmured, returning my gaze to the two women. "If the two of you would please seat yourselves on the couch." I gestured with the gun. "Ms. Delgado, you on the far end, Ms. Taryn, at the other."

They complied, moving into the room and around the end of the sofa as I followed behind. Once they'd both seated themselves, I moved to stand in front of them, the fireplace at my back.

"Now, much as I'd like to believe we've established a certain rapport of trust between us at this point, I'm a bit risk-averse, so I'm going to need to make sure no one starts having second thoughts and tries to do something stupid." I felt inside my jacket pocket for one of the several large black Zip ties I'd packed before coming.

"Ms. Taryn…" I held the thick plastic band out to her. "Would you be so kind as to take this and bind your friend's hands behind her back?"

She glanced over at Sonja, trembling.

"Ms. Taryn, I thought I made this clear by the pool. I grow tired of having to issue warnings and repeat myself. Do what I asked, and do it now ."

She jerked up from the couch, then began walking toward me. As she came close, her steps became tentative. After halting in front of me, she took the binding gingerly from my hand, pinching it between her fingers.

"Much better," I said with a smile. "Now put it on your friend, please."

She backed up quickly, then turned and moved to where Sonja was seated. Sitting down beside her, she began to work the Zip tie into place, her movements hesitant.

I moved to the side where I could oversee what she was doing.

"Pull it tight, but not too tight. I'd hate to cut off her blood flow and cause any permanent damage."

Aubrey didn't acknowledge what I'd said, but she did eventually manage to fit the band around Sonja's wrists as instructed, cinching it down until it was secured to my satisfaction.

"Good girl. Well done." Gesturing with the gun, I added, "Now, if you'd move back to where you were…"

As she did, I followed behind her. When she sat, I took the spot next to her, reaching into the jacket pocket to pull out another tie. When it came free, she sucked in a gasp, her eyes searching my face desperately as I fixed the Zip tie into a loose oval.

"Turn your back to me, please," I instructed.

She hesitated, but before I had to reinforce my earlier threat, she turned. Once she had, I slipped the binding over her hands and up to her wrists before pulling it closed. It snugged up tight against her skin, leaving small indentations where the plastic bit into her flesh.

"Is that okay? You can still feel your fingers?"

She nodded quickly.

"Excellent."

Standing back up, I turned to face Sonja. "Okay, so you wanted to know why I'm here?"

"Yes," she replied quietly as I moved to her end of the couch.

"So, here's the thing…" I crossed back to where she was and sat down. "Your father has made some rather unfortunate business decisions, I'm afraid, Ms. Delgado. These choices have come to the attention of my employer, and they feel the best way to handle this situation is to send your father a message. A warning that continuing down his current path is unacceptable and unless he changes what he's doing, it will lead to some very specific, very serious consequences. Providing him an example of one of those consequences is why I'm here."

"Okay? And how does that involve me?" she asked uneasily.

"Well, simply sending him the message in written or verbal form doesn't carry the import my employer is looking for. Now their intention isn't to cut him out of their mutual business arrangements entirely, as the end result of that would ultimately benefit no one. What's needed here is a warning sufficient to convince your father to change his ways. Something that will leave a suitable impression that won't soon be forgotten."

"I still don't understand how I fit into all of that."

"I can understand why you wouldn't," I replied with a nod, "but you soon will. See, my associates know how much your father loves and dotes on his daughter, as any father should. Now, taking direct action against him would certainly be one way to let him know the gravitas of the circumstances he's in, but they're of the mind there's a more persuasive and enduring way to impart their message."

"And because I'm his daughter, now I'm suddenly playing a part in this warning?" she asked in a faltering voice.

"Yes."

"How?" she whispered.

"This." I slipped the barrel of the pistol under the strap of her bikini. Pulling it outward, I began to slide it off her shoulder.

Sonja let out a sharp gasp that turned to an elongated whimper as I slowly exposed her. The edge of her aureola came into view, then grew as I continued to pull the fabric over the curve of her breast until the entirety of it and her nipple was revealed. She tried to shift away from the cold metal, but with her hands firmly bound behind her back there was little she could do.

"Oh, god. Oh, god, please not that. Please don't do this to me."

I continued sliding the strap over her shoulder until it fell completely free, gliding down her arm. Now that she was completely exposed on one side, I stopped for a moment to enjoy the beauty of both her body and the fear which had her pupils blown wide.

I moved my hand to the opposite strap, clenching it. With a fierce yank I snapped the fabric, tearing it free to bare both sides of her completely.

She howled.

As her chest heaved, I relished not only the sound of her misery, but the sight of the two dark circles surrounding her tight buds pebbling, a sign that had nothing to do with arousal but everything with raw fear. I cupped her right breast tightly, and she tried to jerk away, only hurting herself in the process as my fingers dug in. The sound that ripped from her throat was a shriek, and as I held her, she screamed noises that might have been words but weren't.

"If you'll stop, I'll let go," I said calmly, the words barely audible over her anguish.

At first, she did nothing except continue to cry as she attempted to pull away from me, even though in doing so she was only hurting herself further. Eventually, reason overcame her panic, and she slowly stopped fighting, gulping in air in choking gasps.

"Okay, better," I said as she quieted. When she'd slowed to the point of simply trembling, I let go of her and leaned back.

"I completely understand your reluctance to participate in what I have planned, but even you would have to agree your father seeing you used this way will send an incredibly strong message, no? I mean, what could be more devastating to a parent? And as I mentioned, my employers do want to make sure this is something your father never forgets."

"I didn't do anything…" she cried, tears staining her cheeks in glossy trails.

"I know, I know," I soothed her, "and I want you to remember that when you tell your father what happened here today. Remind him that what you're about to suffer is completely his fault. You had nothing to do with the decisions he made, and yet you're the one who has to pay for them. If you do that, we both will have achieved exactly what my employers are hoping for."

"Okay, okay, you don't have to do this!" she implored. "I'll just…" She glanced around wildly. "I'll tell my dad you fucked me and how horrible it was and how much it hurt, and… and..." Her gaze came back to rest on me, her eyes beseeching. "He'll believe me, I swear it!"

I shook my head ruefully. "Oh, I wish it were that easy."

I stood up, turning to the coffee table behind us. Taking out the burner cell the CIA had provided for ops like these, I flipped open the little stand on the back and balanced it on the table. I brought up the camera, rotating the view until I could see what the lens was.

"Oh, god, no, no, no, no," Sonja whimpered when she realized what I was doing.

As I fiddled with the view, I spoke back over my shoulder, "As I said, a verbal report isn't going to be enough to satisfy my clients. They want proof. Undeniable proof. Not only that, they also want to make sure your father sees what's been done to you to emphasize the importance of the message they're sending."

"Please, no. Oh, god, please no," she whispered.

Once I was satisfied the camera angle would capture everything I needed, I turned back and set my weapon down on the end table where it would be within easy reach. As I began slipping my sport coat off, a fresh set of fat tears began glazing twin tracks down Sonja's face. The knowledge of what I was about to do to her, coupled with the sight of her crying, had my cock straining against the inside of my pants.

Colbie was right; I was a sadist, and there was no way to deny that even though this sort of assignment wasn't what I specialized in lately, I was still going to enjoy this return to my past very, very much.

"Well, as I said earlier"—I draped the jacket over the arm of the couch and began unbuckling my belt—"the sooner we get through this, the sooner we'll all be on our way."

"Don't."

I stopped, the belt dangling from the last few loops. It wasn't Sonja who'd just spoken.

It was Aubrey.

I turned my face toward her. "I'm sorry?"

"Don't… don't do it to her."

I cocked my head. "That would kind of defeat the purpose of my being here, Ms. Taryn."

"Do it to me," she replied softly.

Oh…

Now I turned to face her directly. "I beg your pardon?"

"What you're going to do… Do it to me rather than her."

"Aubrey," Sonja whispered.

I held up a finger to stop her. "And why would I want to do that?" I addressed Aubrey. "Ms. Delgado is his daughter, not you."

She gazed back at me earnestly. "But it'll send the same message, won't it? Show him what could've happened to her if you'd chosen to do so. Not only that, it'll make them look better, give the impression they could've really hurt him, but they didn't because all they wanted was to give him a warning."

Well, this is interesting...

"What an intriguing idea," I murmured as I finished removing my belt and tossed it onto the couch.

"Aubrey, don't do?—"

Again, I held up my hand to cut Sonja off.

"I want to make sure you understand exactly what I plan to do to you, Ms. Taryn."

"I do."

I narrowed my eyes. "I need you to say it."

She swallowed visibly, tilting her chin up. "You're going to fuck me."

"Ehm… it's a little more than that, I'm afraid."

"Aubrey—"

Aubrey jerked her gaze to her friend. "Sonja, please… shut up!" The two girls stared at each other for a tense moment before Aubrey turned back to face me. "I don't understand… You aren't going to fuck me?"

"Oh, no, I am, but I'm going to do more than just that, I'm afraid." I gazed into her face intently, my voice grave. "I'm going to hurt you, Ms. Taryn. I'm going to hurt you very, very much."

Her jaw trembled. "Why?"

"Because, as you so helpfully pointed out, I need to get this message across to Mr. Delgado in an effective way. Not only that, my superiors are expecting what I do to be… as unpleasant as possible. Honestly—and it pains me to say this—I'll need to hurt you even more than I would have Ms. Delgado. Doing this to his daughter would have been horrific enough on its own, but with you I'll need to make sure your suffering is sufficient to elicit the same empathy that would've been a given with her. Do you understand?"

She nodded as her eyes filled to glistening.

"If I take you up on your offer, I'm going to have to make doubly sure the message comes across loud and clear, and that'll only be accomplished if I underscore the intensity of how much you're suffering. Does that make sense?"

"Yes."

"And you're still sure you want to do this?"

"Yes."

I couldn't help but smile. "I'm impressed. That's a very noble thing for you to do." I glanced at Sonja. "She's an incredible friend, wouldn't you agree, Ms. Delgado?"

"Aubrey…" she whispered.

"It's okay, Sonja. I'll be fine."

I turned back to Aubrey, shaking my head slowly. "You won't, but I'm proud of you for being strong and believing you will." I reached down to cradle her cheek. I'd anticipated she might flinch at my touch, but instead she simply remained still.

"You're a good girl, Aubrey," I said as the first of her tears began to flow.

"A very, very good girl."