Four Hard SWATs (3 page)

“No way
I’m
making it through this, Niko.” Gray wasn’t sure what prompted him to confide in his friend, but he was definitely speaking to his friend. Not his commanding officer. “I’ve
kinda
had a thing for
Tawni
since I met her, but some of the things I’m feeling…” He let his words trail off. Hell, he wasn’t even sure Niko had heard him. The noise in the club seemed worse than usual tonight. Or maybe he was just trying to drown out the sound of the lash hitting supple skin. That made him crazed for his lips to sooth
Tawni’s
satin-smooth skin. Her ass might be made for paddling, but the rest of her was made for loving. Grayson was
not
a loving man. While no woman had ever left his bed unsatisfied, kisses and cuddles just weren’t his thing. At least, he’d thought they weren’t.

“I know. We all need to sit down and discuss this before we talk to
Tawni
Monday. You’re not the only one. Neither am I.”

“We’ve all got it bad.” He met his friend’s eye. “So what do we do?”

Niko took a long pull of his scotch, setting the glass down harder than necessary so it thumped the bar, ice rattling in the glass. “Bloody good damned question.”

They made their way to join the others in the back of the club, studiously avoiding the woman who reminded them both so much of
Tawni
. It was almost worse than if they’d sat there and watched. Logic told Gray that wasn’t her, but his mind kept seeing
Tawni’s
face, eyes closed in ecstasy as his whip landed across her plump buttocks. Would she arch into his lash? Would she cry out as she slipped into that euphoric state where pain and pleasure mixed so sweetly the mind couldn’t decide how to process it?

“Stop it, Gray!” Wyatt snapped as he approached the bar. Apparently, he and Bastian hadn’t found a sub to play with. Both leaned against another bar when Gray and Niko found them, looking sullen and edgy.

“Stop what?” Gray blinked several times. Had his expression given him away? That had never happened before. Gray always prided himself on his complete grip on his self-control.

“You’re thinking about
Tawni
in a most inappropriate fashion.” Wyatt practically growled the words. The man was easily six feet eight inches tall and solid, bulky muscle. He was the kind of man no one wanted to piss off. Mainly because he could break a man in half if he chose. Even during Gray’s stint in the Marines he’d never met a man quite as big and strong as Wyatt. The man’s presence alone could cow a suspect, keep the guy from fighting for fear of Wyatt’s retaliation.

Gray sneered at him, inviting trouble but not giving a damn. “Like you’re not thinking the same exact thing. Tell me you didn’t want to get up there on that stage and show her what a real Dom is like. Tell me you didn’t want to spank that rounded behind, squeeze it in your hands until she squealed, then lick up every single drop of moisture she leaked from her pussy like a cat lapping up cream.”

Wyatt lunged for Gray, just missing closing his big hand around Grayson’s throat. There was murder in Wyatt’s eyes. Not the white-hot heat most men got, the kind that made them lose their minds and make mistakes. Not Grayson. There was a cold, icy determination in those piercing blue eyes that said whoever received that look was a dead man. Normally, Grayson would have shrugged it off, but there was actually a shiver along his spine and Gray had to wonder—had they been leaving on a mission right that second, if Wyatt would have put a dagger in his back rather than cover it.

“That’s enough,” Niko snapped. That was Top. Gone was their friend and in place was the team leader. “We’ve all got a problem with this. Instead of being pricks, I suggest we work it out. I’m not breaking up this team because we can’t keep our heads in the game.”

“I’d like to get my head in the game,” Bastian muttered into his beer. Niko flashed him an annoyed look before slapping the back of his head none too gently. Bastian didn’t even flinch, obviously expecting the reprimand.

“So, what the fuck do we do about it, Niko?” Gray crossed his arms over his chest, leaning his hip against the bar. “Because I’m tired of pretending I don’t want to treat her differently than I do the rest of you. Fact is, I do want to treat her differently. I want to tie her to my bed and fuck her so long and hard and satisfying
she
never wants to leave.” He looked around at the group. “Anyone who has a problem with that can suck my dick.”

“All right.” Niko waved a hand. “So there are many different ways we’d all like to have her, but that’s kind of out of the question. Not as long as we’re a team.”

“Well, why the hell not?” Bastian shrugged. “It’s not like we’re not already protective of her. If we let her know our feelings and intentions, it might make her a little more agreeable to, oh, say, following orders that are intended to keep her out of harm’s way. I have no problem with woman in combat, but my mama raised me to protect women. It’s an ingrained trait I don’t want rid of.”

“I second that,” Wyatt grunted.

“Okay.” Niko took a swallow of whisky. “Next problem. Are we willing to share her with each other?”

They all looked at each other. Grayson had no answer for that one. Was he? Not really, but if he absolutely had to, there were no men in the world he could bring himself to even consider sharing
Tawni
with other than these three.

“That’s what I thought,” Niko said. “So here’s the plan. We go to her house. Explain the situation. We let her choose. If she chooses one of us, then the others agree to back the hell off. If she wants none of us, we give her the option of a transfer if she wants one, but agree to pretend none of it ever happened. And we will respect her decision. No matter what. Are we clear?”

None of them was happy about the solution, but it seemed like the only thing to do. The likelihood of her wanting any of them, after tonight, was slim to none. She’d definitely not been happy with them when she’d left the hospital.

Each man lost in his own thoughts, they made their way back to the stage. The sound of a flogger hitting flesh was loud over the den of people talking, which was unusual. Normally, when watching a scene, no one spoke. It was just courtesy. If the couple got into a zone, no one wanted to break it. It would ruin the pleasure for the sub, and he or she might not be able to recover it.

As one, they looked back to the stage. Something about the whole thing struck Sebastian as...off. This scene had gone on far longer than it should have. Thirty minutes was about the limit of most scenes. Any longer and the crowd tended to get bored. It might be about the pleasure of the people working the scene, but if the crowd got bored, they tended to leave. Which was bad for business. This scene had gone on for over an hour.

Sure, the woman obviously wanted to be there, but something felt wrong. The club owner approached the Dom, trying to get his attention without physically interrupting the scene, but the man either refused to look his way or simply ignored the owner. When approached, the Dom growled something that had the owner raising his hands as if to say, “Sorry, buddy, didn’t mean to intrude,” and backed away.

The beating continued.

The Dom stepped to the side, picking up a cane as he did. The woman didn’t move, didn’t tense to make herself ready. There was no indication she felt strongly one way or another about what was about to happen. Neither pleasure nor dread. Nothing.

Then the whipping began again. At first, he struck the backs of her legs lightly, then her rounded bottom. Her dark cheeks and back were already a deep red from the lashing, but as he struck her with the cane, Sebastian swore the color deepened. The woman squirmed just a little. The second she did, the Dom increased his lashes in speed and intensity. With obvious effort, the girl went limp once again, her skin glistening in a film of sweat. They could see enough to know she wasn’t gagged and, therefore, had use of her voice if she wanted to call the safe word and stop this, but she didn’t.

Steadily, the Dom moved his lashing up her lower back—the hits horizontal rather than vertical—until his cane landed across her back in steady, hard hits. Niko growled. All of them made various sounds of distress or anger. If the man kept this up, he could seriously harm the submissive. Being
Doms
themselves, one thing they all hated was amateurs who accidentally hurt their subs, or, worse, men who did it on purpose. Sebastian suspected this man fell into the latter category. More than one of them made a move to rise to stop this madness. Which was when the light shifted slightly and they saw the thin cuts all along her back. The damage had already been done.

When a particularly nasty lash fell across her shoulders, the woman cried out in pain. Another thin line of blood welled then dripped down her skin where the cane had landed, mingling with other crimson drops that had looked like sweat in the dim light. That should have bothered Sebastian more than it did, but all he was capable of registering at that moment was the girl’s cry.

He’d heard that cry only once before. Tonight. When
Tawni
had been injured in the raid.

Instantly, Sebastian was on his feet. Niko, too. They all moved rapidly toward the stage as they might approach a building they intended to raid. Each man had a position. Wyatt and Gray took point, heading to the wings in an effort to cut off the guy’s escape, while Niko ran with deadly purpose toward the Dom wielding the cane. Sebastian’s focus was on the small woman secured to what had become an accomplice in her torture.

With the efficiency of a man who’d used the straps and buckles before, Sebastian had her loose in no time, scooping her up to cradle her close. He moved off the stage, behind one of the abundance of dark curtains for privacy while he gauged
Tawni’s
injuries once again.

“Christ,
Tawni
!” He was unable to keep the shock and horror from his voice, as well as the anger at her treatment. Not only had she willingly stood there while that man had beaten her—and that little demonstration had been nothing more than a beating—but when he got a look at her face, she’d been hit there as well. One cheek was bruised as well as her torso. The bruises were faint on her dark skin, but unmistakable. And these weren’t something she’d gotten in the raid. These were bruises inflicted by someone like the bastard they’d just run off. “What the hell are you doing?”

She looked back at him, tears sparkling in her eyes as she obviously tried to keep them at bay. “He’s my Dom,” she whispered so quietly Sebastian almost didn’t hear it. “I should be able to go to him when I need relief...right?” For the first time since he’d met her,
Tawni
sounded so unsure of herself, so small and forlorn.
Lost
.

“Oh,
hell
no!” Sebastian thought he might have to kill someone tonight. That sick fuck had beaten her?
Tortured
her! When he was supposed to be the person who protected her? Cared for her? He could understand she felt the need to be “punished,” after the way things had gone down tonight. Lord knew they’d berated her, reprimanded her. All because she’d done something all of them would have done if they’d been in her position. He seriously wished he could take back everything he’d said. They might have a driving need to protect her, but she was still a valuable member of the team. They should have backed her up and let her do what she’d been trained to do. Once it was over, they could always assess weaknesses in technique and train her to overcome them.

Sebastian spun her around, checking her back. Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as it had first seemed. Most of the blood came from only a handful of shallow cuts, but welts covered her back from top to bottom. Over her spine and kidneys as much as her shoulder blades and buttocks. He was sure the same marks could be found on her thighs, but he didn’t look too closely. Not yet. Rage simmered too close to the surface. He needed to be gentle with her, show her she was safe. Cared for.

“What the hell happened?” Grayson tore down one of the curtains, eyeing the security guard who approached them, daring him to say anything after what they’d just witnessed.

“We’ll talk about it after we get her someplace safe,” Sebastian growled.

“Agreed.” Niko returned. The guy wielding the cane was nowhere to be seen. Sebastian had no idea if he’d escaped or if Niko had killed the bastard. Didn’t much care which at the moment,
either.
“Gray, get the car. Wyatt, you’re on point. If that fuck shows his face, shoot him.”

Tawni
made a sound of distress but Niko merely gathered her from Sebastian, cradling her in his arms. Sebastian started to protest, but the tormented look on Nicholas’s face told him the other man needed to comfort her. Was he feeling guilty for coming down so hard on
Tawni
? Sebastian knew he was. It might not have made a difference in what happened tonight, but he still felt like a third-rate ass all the same.

“Stop it,” she protested, pushing away from Niko, trying to get out of his grasp. Tears glistened in her eyes, the lights outside reflecting there, made the moisture glisten like glass. “Just stop it. Let me down.”

“Not on your life, sweetheart. You want a Dom? You’ve got one.” Though his words were harsh, his tone was gentle. At least, as gentle as a pissed-off, six-foot-four-inch ex-Marine could be.

Sebastian knew he needed to stop this. Judging from the look on Wyatt’s face, Sebastian wasn’t the only one feeling it. None of them was giving her up now. All the planning and agreeing in the world wasn’t going to fix this. So, just how the hell was this going to work?

*****

Tawni
needed desperately to be free of Niko. Of all of them. How the hell had they found her? What had they done with Dylan? Did she really care? Sure, she’d willingly given herself over to him, had known he wasn’t a gentle Dom and, before today, she’d thoroughly enjoyed scenes with him. Today, however, there had been something different about him. She’d known it from the second he’d picked her up at the hospital.

What he’d done to her at home had been nothing compared to what he’d had planned for her at the club in plain sight of everyone. He’d actually bragged that he could do whatever he’d wanted to her and no one would challenge him. They’d been there so many times no one would think to question anything he did to her.

And he’d been right. If the team hadn’t been there, she shuddered to think what would have happened. Hell, she probably would have just stood there and let it happen because she was Dylan’s submissive. He didn’t own her, but she’d given over a portion of her life into his keeping. Too bad he hadn’t deserved it.

Nicholas’s arms felt
so
good around her as he tightened his hold on her. He rested his chin on her head, rubbing back and forth.
Tawni
doubted he even realized he did it. Sebastian, too, ran a hand up and down her ankle, petting her like he might a wild animal. Soothing her. If
Tawni
had a weakness, that was it. She loved to be touched. Stroked. It was probably why she sought out men like Dylan. To rid herself of weakness. These men, the very ones she needed to be strong in front of, were feeding that stupid weakness. Would they suspect? Worse, would they despise her for the very weakness they were exploiting?

 The drive didn’t take long. All the while, the men murmured around her in hushed tones as if she were at death’s door. Every time they discussed taking her home, Nicholas’s hold on her would tighten and he would growl softly. The deep rumbling in his chest vibrated through her. It wasn’t at all unpleasant.

In the end, she had no idea where she’d end up and didn’t much care. She was warm. Nicholas’s strong arms were locked around her, making a protective cocoon no one could breach. No matter what happened next, she was safe.

“Sebastian, you’re with me,” Niko said gruffly. “Wyatt, you and Gray set up watch outside her house. If you see that fuck prowling around, confront him. Make sure he pulls a weapon, then blow his fucking head off. Got it?” Niko didn’t sound like he was joking. Neither did the other two when they acknowledged him.

“Niko, I’m fine. Really.” Even to herself, she sounded weak. He’d kick her off the team for sure. This was the end of her career. No one would take her after showing such poor judgment. Gritting her teeth, she did her best to hold the tears back, but one slipped out anyway and she turned her head into Niko’s chest to hide it.

“You let Sebastian be the judge of that,” he said, not missing a step as he took her inside his home, not pausing until they reached a big bed on the second floor.

“Can you lay on your stomach,
Tawni
?” Sebastian’s voice was gentle, soothing. “Did he hit you too much to lay comfortably?”

“No. I’m fine. I just need a shower—”

“You
need
this salve I’m going to put on you. It will take the sting out as well as keep you from getting infected. I need to wash the scratches with peroxide, too.”

While they worked,
Tawni
drifted in a state of semi consciousness. She could hear them, but she was so sleepy she could barely register what they said. This usually happened after an intense session, but this was worse than normal. Probably because she didn’t feel the need to be aware of her surroundings.

After a session like this, Dylan liked to fuck her, looking at his marks on her back and buttocks. He’d said seeing the lashes always got him off. She hadn’t really liked it. During play was one thing, but after it, she was always too drained to enjoy it. And sometimes it hurt more than pleasured her. Not that Dylan had cared.

This time, however, she knew she didn’t need to worry about one of the guys jumping on her like that. She was lying there. Naked. They were stroking her body, not to pleasure her but to soothe her. To ease her suffering. And she knew without a doubt it wouldn’t go farther than that unless she wanted it to. The only question was, did she want it?

The ointment Sebastian carefully spread over her back smelled faintly of menthol. It didn’t have the associating burn, but instead seemed to numb her stinging back. Instantly, the pain lessened. Tawny couldn’t help the groan.

“Feel better, precious?” She’d always loved Bastian’s voice. As a combat medic, she supposed he’d patented that voice. No doubt, it was as necessary as a field dressing to help ease wounded soldiers. It took her to a place other than that horrible club. God, she never wanted to go back there again! Fortunately, she could listen to Sebastian’s voice and imagine she was in a spa getting a massage.

“Much,” she moaned, not opening her eyes. The bed beside her dipped and a big, warm hand loosened her hair from the tight braid Dylan had insisted she weave. Once it was freed, Niko finger-combed her hair, massaging her scalp as he did. Dylan had pulled that braid viciously, telling her all the ways he was going to fuck her when they got to club.

Having Wyatt move his fingers tenderly through her long tresses now seemed to erase at least that part of the evening. Sebastian still worked his magic on her back, helping soothe the worst of her injuries. If they kept it up, she’d be good as new in no time. She just wished she had the strength of both body and soul to ask them to make love to her, to take away the perversions she’d endured. She might have endured them willingly, but she recognized them as what they were. The sick fantasies of a man who loved hurting women. Of all the men in the world, the men on her team were possibly the only ones she’d ever trust after tonight.

That thought brought a fresh flood of tears. She turned her head away, but not before Niko’s hands stilled in her hair for a moment before continuing.

“Are we hurting you?” His voice was gentle, yet
Tawni
knew her commanding officer well enough to know he was pissed.

“No. Not at all. I’m so sorry to put you through so much trouble. Really. Just take me home.”

“Not happening,
Tawni
,” he replied. There was no rancor in his voice, no hint that he was angry at her, but she knew he was. “Not tonight.” There was a pause before he asked, “Did he…rape you,
Tawni
?” The question was asked in a tight voice, as if he had to force himself to ask it, not certain he wanted to know the answer.

“No!” she said instantly, vehemently. Then in a quieter voice, she added, “No. He wasn’t gentle, but didn’t do anything I didn’t let him. And there was no sex. At least, not tonight.”

When they both continued to stroke her body, to gentle her, she knew there was no way to hold back the tears. She was going to sob openly in front of both of them, and she’d never be able to forgive herself if she did.

To prevent disaster, she wiggled from both of them, scooting off the bed. Any thought of keeping her dignity would evaporate the second the tears started. She had to get away from them.

Lurching forward, she stumbled to the bathroom. When she would have shut the door, locking them out, Niko stuck his foot in the doorway, keeping her from the privacy she craved.

“No,
Tawni
. You can’t be in here without one of us.” Niko’s visage told her he was deadly serious.

“I…just leave me alone for a minute. I need…”

“We know what you need,” Sebastian crooned. “Don’t shut us out,
Tawni
. Let us help you.”

When the boys made up their mind about something, there was no winning. She knew that, but still fought to hide from them. Neither man was having anything to do with that. Instead, they used the opportunity to inspect the rest of her. That they viewed her naked body impassively when she still craved their touch was just shy of humiliating, but they wouldn’t let her cover herself until they’d treated every bruise, scratch, and welt.