Darkest Fire (20 page)
“Are you trying to tell me my husband’s a spy?” Rin stood up, crossed her arms over her chest, and wandered toward the front window. It was hard to believe that Drako would be involved in some kind of secret spy work, but if she were honest with herself, she’d admit she knew very little about him.
Could this be why he’d decided to marry her in the first place? Why he kept insisting she not fall in love with him? Was he still involved in some kind of spy work? Or undercover work?
No. That’s so silly.
Shit, maybe.
He’d done everything he could to avoid any deep intimacy with her. He didn’t talk about his work. He spent a lot of time away from home, and there was no way for Rin to know where he was going or what he was doing. But, and this was a big but, he didn’t live like a man on the run, living a lie, or hiding something the government would “do anything” to get back.
She moved to the front door, curled her fingers around the knob, and tested it. Unlocked. “Am I free to leave? Or am I a hostage?”
“You can walk out whenever you want. But I hope you’ll stay, listen, try to set aside what you think you know about your husband, and take a long, hard look at what you really know about him.”
“Like what?”
“For instance, Drako Alexandre isn’t his real name.” Her host went to the bookshelf and pulled out a large atlas. When he set it on the table and opened it, Rin realized it wasn’t what it looked like, a book. It was a hollow box with some kind of complicated locking mechanism. Inside was a file. He handed it to her.
Still confused and unsure what to believe, Rin flipped the file open. On top, she found a picture ID. A military ID. With a photograph of Drako. Beneath the picture was the name Kane Zacharias.
Zacharias? That was the same name Rin had heard shouted on the videotape.
Her insides twisted. If Drako was keeping such a huge secret, how could he talk to her about trust? How could he say things like “it’s real between us”? He couldn’t. He wasn’t the kind of man who would talk out of both sides of his mouth.
Her host pulled a leather wallet-like thing from his pocket and flipped it open, revealing a federal ID that wasn’t much different from the one in the file. The name, Robert Zacharias. “I’m a federal agent, but that’s not why I brought you here. Kane—Drako—is my older brother’s boy. I’ve loved him since he was a kid, and I don’t want this to go down the way it’s heading. I want your help. I need your help.”
She flipped through the documents in the file, all military reports. They looked real enough, but she still couldn’t believe what she was hearing, seeing, reading. Drako’s name wasn’t Drako? Everything she’d known about him was a lie? He’d stolen some kind of top-secret weapon or something from the government. She felt sick, like her insides had been yanked out of her, wrung like a wet shirt and stuffed back in. “What do you expect me to do? If what you’re telling me is true, then I don’t know
anything
about Drako. Not a goddamn thing. I certainly haven’t seen a metal tube lying around the house.” She shook her head and tried to hold back the anger slicing through her. “And say he did steal whatever that thing is. I saw the date on the recording. It was made ten years ago. Why would he keep anything that dangerous for so long?”
anything
about Drako. Not a goddamn thing. I certainly haven’t seen a metal tube lying around the house.” She shook her head and tried to hold back the anger slicing through her. “And say he did steal whatever that thing is. I saw the date on the recording. It was made ten years ago. Why would he keep anything that dangerous for so long?”
“Because he doesn’t want anyone to have it. Not our government. Not anyone.”
“Why?”
“Because he believes it’s too dangerous to be used by anyone.” Bob picked up his identification and tucked it back into his pocket. “He believes he’s doing the right thing by protecting it.” Now,
that
Rin could believe. If there was one thing Drako had shown her, it was how strongly he felt about duty, protecting people, including her and her sister. “We think you can get him to tell you where it’s hidden.”
that
Rin could believe. If there was one thing Drako had shown her, it was how strongly he felt about duty, protecting people, including her and her sister. “We think you can get him to tell you where it’s hidden.”
“How? He hasn’t even told me his real name. How am I ever going to convince him to tell me where he’s hidden something for ten years?”
Bob leaned closer, lowered his voice. “He has one weakness that we know of. But it won’t be easy.”
“What’s that?”
“When he’s in a dungeon, he’s most vulnerable. Especially if he’s the one submitting.”
“Oh, I don’t know about this.” Even as Rin’s heartbeat kicked into double speed, she shook her head. “I don’t know anything about that stuff and you’re asking me to dominate him. What if I do something wrong?” Considering how she felt right now, she couldn’t trust herself not to beat his ass bloody.
“What if we had someone train you? Someone you know and trust?”
“Who?”
Bob indicated with an index finger that he wanted her to wait. He produced a cell phone from his pants pocket, dialed, said the word “Now,” and ended the call.
Less than a minute later, Rin was standing face-to-face with her sister.
Rin was too overwhelmed with relief, seeing that her sister was safe and unharmed, to worry about why she was with these men, or ask how she’d come to be a part of this whole mess. The first thing she did was throw her arms around her baby sister and hug her, asking, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Perfectly fine.” She didn’t sound fine, not even to her own ears.
“I’ll let the two of you get caught up.” Bob headed toward the kitchen.
Rin waited until she was sure he couldn’t overhear her before asking, “Lei, what’s going on?”
“It’s kinda crazy, isn’t it?” Lei sat, coaxing Rin to sit beside her. “I believe them. What about you?”
“I don’t know. The documents and tape all look real, but I can’t picture Drako as some kind of secret agent-slash-spy. Or maybe I don’t want to believe because that would mean everything he’s told me has been a lie.”
“Oh, Rin. I feel for you. But I think you’ve long suspected there was something about him that didn’t fit, that there’s more going on than making jewelry.”
“Maybe, but I thought the other stuff had to do with his hobby rather than his work.” Rin dropped her face into her hands. “It’s so hard to accept that all that talk about trust and being honest and real was a bunch of shit.” Lei rubbed her back. Right now, she couldn’t be more grateful to have her sister there with her. “Speaking of trust, Drako’s uncle wants me to go to a dungeon with Drako and make
him
submit to
me.
That’s crazy. And even more insane, he more or less suggested you could show me how to . . . how to make him submit.”
him
submit to
me.
That’s crazy. And even more insane, he more or less suggested you could show me how to . . . how to make him submit.”
“I can.” Lei nodded. “One of my owners trained me to be his domme.”
Another shock. “How did Bob know that about you? I didn’t even know.” Rin threw her hands in the air. “Do I know anything about anyone? My God, I’m being hit by surprises from all sides.”
“I’m sorry, Rin.” Lei grimmaced. “I met Drako’s uncle at a dungeon. He was going by another name—”
Dungeon? Lei had been going to a dungeon. She was a domme. Truly and honestly. Not because she was being forced to be one, or paid to be one, but because she chose to. Rin wondered what other secrets her sister had kept since coming home. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“About the D/s?”
“Yes.”
Lei smiled. It wasn’t an ear-to-ear grin, it was more of a wry semismile. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to a dungeon? You went with that flake, Andi.”
“You know about that?” Despite knowing Lei was a domme and wouldn’t be shocked, Rin felt her face burn with embarrassment and shame anyway. And here she’d been judging Drako and her sister for keeping secrets.
“I was there.”
“You were? I didn’t see you.”
“You didn’t see me because you weren’t looking for me. But that’s beside the point.” Lei shifted to face Rin fully. “The point is, we’ve both been keeping secrets, right, Rin? And so has Drako. He has his reasons. I’m sure he’ll tell you. Some things are hard to talk about, even with people we trust and love.”
“Yeah.” Rin’s gaze dropped to her hand again, to the blue stone shimmering on her ring finger. If Lei, the sister who’d loved and trusted her for years, was keeping secrets, why wouldn’t Drako? And if she hadn’t told Lei about the dungeon because, in a way, she was trying to protect her, how could she judge Drako too harshly? Perhaps he was ashamed. Or maybe he felt he was protecting her by not telling her about this spy thing? Yes, that made a lot of sense.
“You met Bob at a dungeon and then what happened?” When Lei didn’t answer right away, Rin asked, “Did he drug you like he did me? Kidnap you?”
“I was never locked up. I could leave whenever I wanted.” Lei added, “I was never afraid.”
“Did you know what he was going to do?” Rin pressed, wondering how much of a role her sister played in Agent Bob Zacharias’s scheme. Not because she was angry with her sister, but because she wondered if she’d ever been in danger.
“He explained it all to me, just like he did to you.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me the truth, Lei?”
“Would you have believed me?” Lei gave her a pointed glare.
“No,” Rin admitted. “I wouldn’t have. But dammit, I wish there’d been another way to handle this whole thing. I was terrified that bastard, Campioni, had taken you away again.”
Lei placed her hand over Rin’s. “I’m so sorry you were worried. The truth is, I wanted to call you and tell you I was okay, but they told me I shouldn’t, that they’d bring you here, to me, when it was safe. I didn’t want you to get hurt. I was petrified something would happen to you.” Lei curled her fingers around Rin’s hand and squeezed. “Rin, if I were to lose you, I think I’d go crazy. Or die.”
Rin stood, wrapped her arms around herself, and walked over to the window. The western sky was streaked with salmon and deep purple, the heavy sun barely hanging above the horizon. The weakening light left much of the surrounding neighborhood cloaked in shadow. Still, there was nothing sinister or threatening about the homes. They were, just like the one she now stood inside, charming cottages. Rin didn’t need to hear another word to know that Lei was genuinely convinced Drako was up to something dangerous. But why would Lei be willing, then, to let the sister she loved risk her life by going back to him? “Why aren’t you trying to talk me into leaving him, Lei?”
Lei stepped up behind Rin and placed her chin on Rin’s shoulder. “Because I also believe you love him. You can’t leave him. Am I wrong?”
She wasn’t. No matter if Drako was Drako Alexandre or Kane Zacharias, or John Smith, jeweler or spy or auto mechanic, she loved him. With everything she had and was. She’d married him, promising for better or worse, and she had been looking forward to living up to that promise. She wanted to have his children, watch them grow up, and eventually begin lives of their own.
He had to have a damn good reason for lying to her. She knew it in her gut.
Still standing behind Rin, Lei wrapped her arms around Rin’s shoulders. “If we can get that thing, whatever it is, away from your husband safely, with Agent Zacharias’s help, then you can go back and live like nothing has changed.”
“You think?” Rin watched a little boy toddle down the street, pulling a wagon. His dark, wavy hair poked out from beneath a baseball cap. Rin could easily imagine that was their child, hers and Drako’s. Could they truly find some kind of normal life after this?
“Honestly, I think the only chance you have of living the rest of your life with that man is if you help them. If you don’t, the government is going to arrest him. He’ll spend the rest of his life in federal prison.”
Lei’s words struck her with more force than a blow to the stomach. Rin went back to the coffee table, picked up the military ID, and ran her thumb over the photograph, staring at the face that was so familiar, paired with the name of a stranger.
She battled with doubts and fears as she read through every piece of paper in the file again and again. Lei didn’t try to convince her to believe or do anything. She sat by her side, one arm resting on Rin’s shoulder.
Finally, after one last, long breath in and out, Rin nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it. Because I love him. I just hope I won’t be sorry.”
Lei gave her hand a hard squeeze. “Rin, you’ve always done what’s right. When we were growing up. Then, after I was sent away. Now, you’re doing the right thing for your husband and the family you’ll have with him someday. I know you don’t regret what you did for me. You won’t regret helping him either.”
Her eyes were burning. Her heart felt heavy, and her insides felt raw, as if they’d been run across a cheese grater. She dragged her thumb under one eye, then the other, and tried not to cry. “You can teach me? I don’t know how to . . . what to do.”
“I’ll teach you everything I know.” Lei looked as if she might cry too as she wiped away the tear that seeped from Rin’s eye. “You’ll get my crash course in being a domme, starting right now. You don’t need to know everything, just the basics. Safety first.”
Rin pulled Lei into an embrace and whispered as she buried her nose in Lei’s satin-smooth hair, “Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do, after all you’ve done for me.”
18
C
onvincing Drako that she and Lei had escaped from Campioni without any help had been a lot easier than convincing him to take her back to a dungeon. In fact, after trying every night for more than two weeks, Rin was ready to give up. Until Lei brought her a letter one day, addressed to her. It was from Agent Zacharias, letting her know the FBI was planning a raid in exactly forty-eight hours.
onvincing Drako that she and Lei had escaped from Campioni without any help had been a lot easier than convincing him to take her back to a dungeon. In fact, after trying every night for more than two weeks, Rin was ready to give up. Until Lei brought her a letter one day, addressed to her. It was from Agent Zacharias, letting her know the FBI was planning a raid in exactly forty-eight hours.
Rin folded the note and handed it back to her sister. “I’ve done everything you told me to. Suggested, seduced, practically pleaded. He won’t take me back there.” Feeling utterly defeated, almost overwhelmed with hopelessness, Rin sat on her sister’s bed, shoulders slumped, chin resting on her knees. “Time’s running out. What do you think will happen to him?”
Lei, looking at her with worry-filled eyes, shrugged her shoulders as she sat beside her. “I don’t know. I suppose the best we can hope for is they’ll arrest him, put him in prison.”
The air in Rin’s lungs rushed out in a heavy sigh. Even the thought of Drako being taken from her left her feeling empty.
She couldn’t give up, not until she’d run out of time. “How can I convince him to do what I want?”
Lei jumped up, grabbed a textbook off her nightstand, and plopped back down beside Rin. She ran her fingertip down the book’s spine. “We’re studying behavioral psychology, you know, motivation, reinforcement, salivating dogs, that kind of thing. If you want to make someone do anything, you’ve got to know what motivates them.”
“I don’t know what makes Drako go to the dungeon. I’ve tried to figure it out.”
“Maybe not, but you do know what makes him do other things, like, for instance, marry a woman he doesn’t know.”
Wondering where Lei was going with this, Rin nodded. “Sure, duty.”
“Exactly.”
“So how do I convince him that it’s
his duty
to take me to the dungeon?” Rin asked.
his duty
to take me to the dungeon?” Rin asked.
“Hmmm.” Lei thumbed through the pages of her psychology book. “If you could convince Drako that you
need
to go to the dungeon, and that he’s the only one you trust, then he’d have to take you. Right?”
need
to go to the dungeon, and that he’s the only one you trust, then he’d have to take you. Right?”
“Sure, I guess.” Rin sighed. “The problem is, what do I say to convince him of that? He took me to the dungeon once, and he knows I went there for him, not for me.”
“Don’t say anything.”
“Huh?”
Hugging her book to her chest, Lei surged to her feet and began pacing back and forth. “I don’t think he’ll believe you if you tell him you need to go to the dungeon. He’ll only believe you if you
show
him. Let him see you heading out the door, a bag of bondage gear slung over your shoulder, and let him make up his own mind.”
show
him. Let him see you heading out the door, a bag of bondage gear slung over your shoulder, and let him make up his own mind.”
“Bondage gear? I don’t own any.”
“No problem there.” Lei sent Rin out of the room with a shooing motion. “Go, get dressed. I’ll take you shopping. When he sees you tonight, he won’t doubt for a minute you’re serious.”
Rin dashed back to her sister, gave her a quick hug, then raced to her room to change into some jeans, a T-shirt, and some tennis shoes. She brushed on a little blush, ran a comb through her hair, and applied a little lip gloss before heading out to find her sister. Lei was waiting for her in the kitchen, her purse on the counter, a glass of diet cola in her hand.
“Ready?” Lei took a swallow of her soda.
“Let me grab a quick something.” Rin went for the protein bars in the cupboard and a bottled water from the refrigerator. Fast and simple. And, most important, portable.
“I’ll drive.” Lei pulled her car keys out of her purse, slipped on some fierce D&G sunglasses—the only true luxury her sister had indulged in—and hurried out the door.
The day was glorious. The air was heavy with the perfume of earth and leaves, an undercurrent of cool freshness playing beneath the surface. The sun, still hanging far to the east, was brilliant. Only a few little white puffy clouds broke up the expanse of true, clear sky blue stretching from one horizon to the other.
Rin inhaled deeply before sinking into the passenger seat of her sister’s little car. As Lei navigated the vehicle out of the parking spot next to Rin’s car, Rin munched on the chocolate protein bar, washing it down with the water.
The store wasn’t far, to Rin’s surprise—she hadn’t expected to find a sex toy shop out in the burbs. When Rin entered the store and saw all the gear, she was extremely grateful to have her sister there with her. She had no clue what half of it was used for.
They shared laughs and a few awkward moments, when one or both of them found themselves facing a topic they weren’t comfortable talking about. Even though Lei had spent hours helping Rin learn how to safely bind a submissive; how to use paddles, whips, and other toys safely; and how to help a submissive find her headspace by volunteering to be Rin’s guinea pig, Lei still didn’t talk about some things. And neither did Rin. They both respected each other’s limits.
Once Rin had made her selections, the sisters headed out with hands full of bags. They put everything in the trunk, drove to a favorite restaurant for some lunch, and discussed a strategy for that evening.
If Rin couldn’t convince Drako this time, she never would.
That evening, she dressed carefully in something a little sexier, a little more dangerous than he cared to see her in. She called him about a half hour before he normally got home, asking him if he was going to be home at the normal time and asking if he’d stop for some milk.
At time minus ten, or roughly ten to six, she had a small panic attack as she gave herself one last up-and-down look in the full-length mirror. If she failed . . .
Don’t think about it, or it’ll become a self-fulfilling prophesy.
“It’s going to work,” she told her reflection.
Her cell phone rang, just once, then cut off. That was the signal. She dragged the heavy bag off the bed, sliding the strap over her shoulder. Metal clanking sounds accompanied her every step as she headed toward the door, where she’d “accidentally” run into Drako.
“Rin.” Drako was half in and half out of the door when he saw her. His eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead; his eyes widening for an instant before narrowing. “Hi.”
“Hello.” She raised up on tiptoes to give him a kiss. It was as brief as she could bring herself to offer. A metallic clank sounded from the bag the instant her heels came back into contact with the ground.
Drako grabbed the bag’s strap in a fist, raising it, the motion causing a few more clacks and clatters. “What’s this?”
She lifted her chin. “Well, you know I’ve been asking you to take me to the dungeon?”
“Yeah.”
“You keep telling me ‘no.’ So, I have no choice. I’m going without you.”
He pulled the bag’s strap off her shoulder. “No, you’re not. It isn’t safe, not after—”
“I’ll be careful.” Pretending she wasn’t nervous as hell, she patted his shoulder and tugged on her bag’s strap. He had no idea how vital it was for him to take her to the dungeon. And that was only the beginning. Next, she had to get him to trust her—she had no idea how she was going to do that—and then, she had to somehow get him to tell her where the stolen thingy was. She wasn’t facing any uphill climb; she was about to scale Mount Everest. And the scariest part—she had no safety net to catch her if she fell. And not only was she facing a horrible fall, but she would pull Drako down with her.
No pressure there. None at all.
Wishing she could turn the whip over to Lei, who seemed so much more capable of pulling this off, she gave Drako a little smile and wave. “I’ll be home in about an hour and a half. Unless I’m having too much fun and decide to stay longer.” She gave Drako a step-outta-my-way look. When he didn’t move from the doorway, she turned sideways, facing him, and sidestepped through the narrow opening.
Unfortunately, she didn’t make it all the way through. He stopped her by clamping his hand around her wrist, as tight and unyielding as any metal cuff could be.
“I said, you’re not going.”
She narrowed her eyes, meeting his gaze. “One question. Have you stopped going to the dungeon since Lei and I were kidnapped?”
His gaze jerked from hers. A tense silence, frosty and hard, fell between them.
“Are you going to suggest your need for D/s is more urgent than mine?” she asked.
“Since when did you
need
D/s?” he bit, his teeth clenched so tightly that Rin could make out the muscles of his face. A large blood vessel on his neck protruded. That couldn’t be good.
need
D/s?” he bit, his teeth clenched so tightly that Rin could make out the muscles of his face. A large blood vessel on his neck protruded. That couldn’t be good.
“Does it matter when?”
As impossible as it might have seemed, his jaw clenched even tighter. He wasn’t annoyed; he was furious. Every bone in Rin’s body was screaming for her to stop this ruse and back step out of what could potentially be an ugly fight. But the fear of the unknown, of what might happen, was enough to push her to keep going.
She glared at the side of his face. He wouldn’t look at her. “Drako, I’ve been through a lot lately, a terrifying experience. I haven’t slept in over a week. I’m terrified of every stranger I see. I went out today with Lei and had a panic attack in a store. If I don’t get out of this house, and face my fears, I’m going to become a prisoner of them. Now, does this make sense?” By the end of her speech, her voice was shaky and her eyes were burning and blurry.
Drako didn’t speak for a few seconds. The tense space between them—no more than a couple of inches—was filled with nothing but the sound of her shallow, panting breaths. His gaze found its way back to her face, where it lingered on her eyes. Gradually, his face relaxed. “Okay. I’ll take you.”
She dragged her hand across her eyes. “Thank you.” It was a good thing she was wearing waterproof mascara or she’d be washing off the raccoon eyes before going anywhere.
He let her go outside first, then followed her. During the drive, she watched the familiar landscape whiz by in a blur, her mind racing as she tried to anticipate the next battle she was about to face. Convincing him to take her was only a small victory.
By the time Drako had parked the car, she had recited in her head at least a dozen different speeches, each one saying, essentially, the same thing.
She was ready. Until they were in that room again.
All the words flew from her head, like pigeons from a kicked cage. Drako gave her a funny look, probably wondering why she was standing there, just inside the door, her hands curled around the strap of her bag so tightly her knuckles were white.
“Are you okay?” His voice was heavy with concern, and she realized he was reading her body language and interpreting it as terror. That wasn’t far from the truth.
“I’m okay.” She took a few slow breaths.
“Come, sit down.” He motioned toward the love seat.
“No.”
His jaw practically dropped to the floor. If he thought that little bit of rebellion was a surprise, he had no idea what was about to hit him. If things hadn’t been so life-or-death, Rin might have actually enjoyed this more, watching his reaction as she exorcised an independent streak he didn’t realize she had.
Clearly insisting on making her sit, he walked to her, placed one hand at the small of her back, and tried to give her a little nudge.
“Drako, I’m not here to be your submissive.”
“You’re not? Then who were you planning on scening with?”
“You.”
He looked like she’d just spoken to him in Swahili. “Huh?”
She strolled across the room, set her bag down on the table, unzipped it, pulled out the single tail whip, and flicking her wrist, sent the tail sailing through the air. It snapped a couple of feet from him, at about chest level.
She was relieved to see those many hours of practice had paid off.
Drako’s face went white.
Remember, show no weakness, no doubt, no fear. If he’s going to trust you, you have to show him you’re trustworthy. His life depends upon it.
Was this his wife, wielding that whip like a professional domme? Couldn’t be. No fucking way.
He was so stunned, speechless, he didn’t know how to react, what to do next. For one thing, his heart was telling him that the stranger standing in the room with him was Rin, the woman he’d come to know and care for. But his eyes . . . what he saw just wasn’t jibing with what he felt.
For another, he was as far from a submissive man as a guy could be. He was the oldest of three, comfortable taking responsibility, acting in the name of duty, and taking control of a situation. He not only didn’t want to put himself in the role of submissive but was almost afraid to.
He knew how vulnerable a submissive was to his or her dom. There was no way he could take that risk. But what would happen if he downright refused? Would she go find a willing submissive?
Maybe that would be best.
“Haven’t you ever switched roles, Drako?” Rin looked extremely confident as she sauntered closer. Sexier than hell. The fact that his cock was hard enough to bust through concrete surprised him. Normally an aggressive woman made his libido take a nose dive. She trailed a manicured fingernail over his shoulder as she stepped around his side. “Are you afraid to let any woman take control or only me?”
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