The Game (25 page)

“Voyeur II wants her paired with a different partner tonight.” Shawn flashed Chastity a grin. “I’m just offering my services. We agreed to keep her safe. This way Voyeur II gets what they want…”

136

The Game

“And you get what you want,” Tor added sarcastically.

Terrance raked Chastity from head to toe. “Did you have to dress her like royalty?”

He frowned again. “Could you at least drag her out of the room by her hair? Or do something, so when this gets back to Voyeur II they’ll know she didn’t go willingly?”

With that Shawn raised Chastity into the air and threw her over his shoulder. A grunt pushed from her lips. Dazed, she lay listless, and then she started to kick and scream. Fists pounded Shawn’s back lightly before she raised her head and winked at Terrance.

The brawny man stumbled back. His blank face nearly made Chastity slip out of character and into hysterics. Instead she hollered louder, choking back her giggles until she felt the cool air of the outdoors brush her face. When Shawn set Chastity on her feet a stream of laughter flowed from her lips.

Shawn looked at her.

“I’m sorry, it’s just your brothers. They almost shit their pants when you tossed me over your shoulder.”

“So all that kicking and screaming was for show?” Shawn’s hopeful expression brought home Chastity’s situation.

The man before her had rescued her not once, but twice from Dawson. He expected a night of passion. Throw in a little bondage, erotic torture and whatever other fantasy he could think of, and you had hot, unadulterated sex.

Chastity’s stomach pitched. Her hand rose to cup his jaw. “Of course.”

Skeptical, he gazed into her eyes. Then his arms slipped around her waist. He pressed her body close. His lips met hers.

Featherlight, undemanding, he coaxed her mouth to open. When she surrendered he laid siege, tasting and exploring, delving into her as if he thirsted for her, hungered for her.

There was something sad, almost lonely, about the man in her arms. It made Chastity want to weep.

Whack
! The blow came out of nowhere. Shawn crumpled in her arms, blood seeping from an open wound on the back of his head. A scream tore from her throat as she cradled the heavy man to her chest, sliding slowly to the ground under his weight. A hand reached out from behind the injured man and tossed Shawn off her.

* * * * *

As soon as Seth’s foot landed on Ecstasy Island’s platform he burst into a run. The looks of astonishment and agitation he received while pushing past the other passengers didn’t faze him. He had one thing and one thing only on his mind. He had to find Chastity.

137

Mackenzie McKade

The night was dark, so when Seth tumbled over something big lying in the walkway he shouldn’t have been surprised. However, the sudden attack that came from two different directions did surprise him. He was jerked to his feet before being slammed from one looming shadow to the next.

Running on adrenaline, Seth’s fist connected with a muscular stomach, only to take one hard to the jaw. For some reason he’d been dropped right in the center of a boxing ring with two angry bulls.

Seth lunged forward only to have his foot hit something slippery. His body pitched backwards and before he hit the ground the two mammoths landed atop him. He struggled to move, but the big lugs bearing down on him held him in place.

“Tor, Shawn’s moving.”

“Terrance, is that you?” The weight on Seth’s chest grew heavier. “Why the hell did you attack me?” Seth was angry. “Get the fuck off me.”

“Fuck you.” Terrance threw the obscenity back in Seth’s face.

“What’s got into the two of you? And where’s Chastity?” No one answered Seth. The bulky shape in the walkway began to groan.

Tor released his hold on Seth. Terrance tightened his.

“Shawn, are you okay?” Tor asked his brother as he helped him to his feet.

“Shawn?” Seth was confused. Why was Shawn lying on the sidewalk?

Tor knelt by Shawn and proceeded to help him rise. “Tatiana heard Chastity scream. We came as quickly as we could.”

Fear slithered into Seth’s veins. “Chastity, scream?” But nobody was paying attention to him.

“Got…to…find…her.” Shawn swayed. Tor grasped him around the waist.

“What happened?” Tor helped Shawn to a bench nearby.

“Kissing…wham!” Shawn’s fingers touched his head coming back with sticky red blood. “Ah, shit.”

Terrance’s breath was hot as it flooded over Seth’s face. “Where is she?”

“Get off me, you son of a bitch. I should be asking you the same question. Or maybe I should be asking Shawn. What did he mean kissing? And where is Chastity?” If someone didn’t answer him soon he’d kill the whole bunch of them. Yeah, right. Wasn’t he the one pinned to the ground?

“Let him go.” Tor took a cloth from his pocket and dabbed at the wound on the back of Shawn’s head.

“What?” Terrance dug his knee into Seth’s side.

“Stands to reason if Seth was at fault he’d be with Chastity, not wrestling on the ground with an unconscious Shawn.” Tor’s logic made sense. Terrance released him, stood, and extended his hand to help Seth to his feet.

138

The Game

Seth shrugged off the courtesy, wiping the blood from his mouth as he rose on his own accord. “Where is she?”

The brothers looked from one to the other. In unison they said, “Dawson.”

“Dawson? What the hell’s been going on here?” Seth had reached his limit. His gut clenched, half afraid to learn what had taken place in his absence. Terrance moved toward Seth.

“Dawson wanted Cha—umm, your slave.” Terrance stumbled over his words.

“You fucking sold her to that scum?” Seth’s fingers itched to feel Terrance’s neck beneath them, but he needed more information from him before he killed the man. Seth listened to their explanations, growing madder by the minute. When Terrance finished, Seth’s voice dropped to a dangerous low. “Where’s Dawson?”

His feet were in motion before Terrance finished saying Bungalow Seven.

The door wasn’t locked. It slid open freely at Seth’s approach. When he saw Dawson’s ass in the air driving wildly between spread legs, Seth’s heart stopped.

“What the fuck,” growled Dawson, glancing over his shoulder. The woman beneath him started to rise and he sharply backhanded her. A whimper floated from beneath him.

A red haze formed in front of Seth’s eyes as he lunged for the bastard. He hit Dawson with enough impact to toss him off the bed, both of them rolling on the ground, fists flying.

Then Seth felt strong hands pulling at him. He fought to retain the stranglehold he had on Dawson’s throat. Through a cloud of madness he heard, “It’s not Chastity, Allen. It’s not Chastity.” Another set of hands grabbed him, and he felt himself pulled from his nemesis.

Dawson grasped his neck, wheezing as he attempted to breathe. Seth looked toward the bed, where the young girl that had been dressed as a concubine at orientation wept quietly. A sheet hid most of her body, but her arms and legs were battered and bruised.

Tor took one look at the woman and turned to Terrance. “Throw his ass out of here. I never want to see his face on Zygoman again.”

Terrance tossed the man a robe that was lying across a chair. It whacked Dawson in the face. “Pack your bags. You’re out of here.”

Seth tensed. “
Wait
! Where’s Chastity?”

Smack
! A palm lashed out, landing against the side of Chastity’s head. She fell hard, the breath knocked from her lungs. She lay motionless, afraid to move—afraid not to. As she scrambled to her feet her gaze scanned the room. An abandoned building, old, dirty. Her feet hastened toward the door, only to come up short. A burst of pain 139

Mackenzie McKade

exploded down each nerve ending as a rough hand grabbed her by the hair. Another palm slammed down over her mouth. She struggled, but she was no match for his strength.

Josh’s eyes were wild, red and swollen like he hadn’t slept for days. “Now you listen to me and don’t say a word.”

Chastity couldn’t talk, much less breathe. If he didn’t move his fingers away from her nostrils, she would suffocate. Just as darkness fringed the edges of her consciousness he released her mouth, only to force his lips on hers. His kiss was a brutal rape of her senses. She struggled, but the hold on her head made it impossible to escape. Teeth grated against teeth, his tongue plunged deeply. Her stomach heaved and the taste of vomit burned up her throat. And then suddenly it was over.

She sucked in a ragged breath.

Josh gently rested his head on her shoulder. “Why’d you do it, Chastity?” He sounded so lost, so young. His black hair fell forward, veiling his sharp features. Chastity’s voice trembled. “W-what, Josh? I-I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?”

“Me?” His tone rose sharply, and then plummeted. “
Me
?” He lifted his head and glared at her. “You let him fuck you, didn’t you?”

Bewildered, Chastity shook her head. “Who?”

“Seth. He shoved his cock in here.” Josh drove his fingers roughly between her legs. Chastity cried out in pain and fear. “I don’t understand, Josh.”

The hand that assaulted her fell to his side. Then he smiled, madness tugging at the corners of his mouth. The fist in her hair tightened. Without a word, he began to drag her through a door and into another room.

Chastity limped on one glass slipper, the other lost in her struggle as she attempted to follow him, reducing the pressure his hold had on her head. When she looked up, saw the chains attached to the wall, she gasped.

His laugh was cynical. “You wanted to experience bondage. Well, baby, I’m going to give it to you before we leave this planet.”

Fear crawled across Chastity’s skin. “Josh! Please, Josh, tell me what this is about.”

She pulled away, only to be yanked back toward the foreboding wall. She heard the first shackle close around her wrist, felt the cold steel against her skin. And then the second clanked around her other wrist.

Josh stood back and gazed at her. “I love you.”

Chastity pulled against her bindings. She had to think of something, had to find out what was wrong with Josh. “I love you, too. But I don’t understand.”

“You’re
my
girl.”

140

The Game

She cocked her head confused. “Josh, we’re friends. You’re helping me with my mother.”

His snicker made her flinch. “Helping you. God, Chastity, you’re so stupid. Who do you think ensured that your mother remained incarcerated all this time? Who do you think paid for it?”

“You?”

“
Buzzzz!
” The obnoxious sound blared from between his lips. “Wrong. Try again.”

She paused, remembering how much money she had given Josh. He had arranged for her to leave Earth, isolating her from news, her friends, Seth. He’d even provided her with a new identity and a job to ensure that Seth couldn’t find her. Before she asked the question she knew the answer. “Me?”

“Ding, ding, ding, give the woman a prize.”

His confirmation hit her with a force that knocked the breath from her lungs. “You used
my
money to keep my mother locked up?”

Josh shrugged. “Seth’s. Yours. A little here, a little there.” He pinched her chin between his fingers. “But you had to ruin it, didn’t you? You had to enter this contest. You had to fuck Seth.”

Chastity couldn’t speak. She couldn’t think. All this time, Josh had manipulated her. He had ruined her mother’s life. He had taken Seth from her. And for what? Jealousy? A twisted sense of love?

When Josh’s hand skimmed her neck Chastity allowed her anger to replace fear. She jerked her head away. “Don’t touch me.”

“Oh, baby, I’m going to do more than touch you. I promise.”

When Josh moved to the door, then passed through it, Chastity breathed a sigh of relief. But it was short-lived as her eyes scanned the room. Whips, paddles, chains…she’d fallen back into a torture chamber.

But what really set her heart racing was the old-fashioned branding iron that glowed red in the fireplace. He couldn’t possibly be planning to
brand
her…could he?

Chastity shuffled her unrestrained feet. She could coldcock him in the balls. But when he revived he’d be livid.

She felt helpless, hopeless.

Josh was mad. He would never allow her to leave alive. He couldn’t. She would die here. Her mother would remain incarcerated on the moon. And Seth would think that she’d disappeared yet again.

The sound of footsteps sent goose bumps skittering across Chastity’s skin. She gasped as Josh entered. He was naked, his cock rigid.

Her heart slammed against her rib cage as he approached. The touch of his hand on her face made her sick. She steeled herself not to flinch, but couldn’t help it. 141

Mackenzie McKade

Josh hissed at her reaction, backing away. Then he reached for a strip of cloth and a red rubber ball with straps. Before she knew what was happening he forced her jaws apart and pressed the ball into her mouth, securing the ties. Then the silk sash was placed over her eyes.

Chastity began to salivate as she listened to Josh move around the room. Fluid accumulated, dripping from the corners of her lips and down her chin. Josh moved in front of her. She felt his warm breath on her face as his fingernails dug into her chest and pulled, ripping her dress. In a last-ditch effort, her knee rose and she nailed him in the balls.

Josh shrieked. Chastity felt her gown go down with him as he hit the floor. For a moment she heard groans as he thrashed about, and then there was silence. He rose and padded across the room. Chastity listened to his movements and prayed that he’d leave.

Instead she heard the rustling of coals. Her body went numb. The thought of her flesh burning, searing beneath the brand crashed down on her. She couldn’t do this. She wasn’t strong enough.

Quietly she slipped into her safe zone, pulling the blanket of unconsciousness over her head.

142

The Game

Chapter Fourteen

Chaos reigned on the planet of Zygoman. Seth, with the help of the Thorenson brothers, was tearing the place apart looking for Chastity. She had been gone about an hour, every minute that passed more precious than the last. Guards had been set up at the transport platform. Every one of the guests had volunteered to search. Yet Chastity was nowhere to be found. Torches and light sticks lit the way as they searched the bungalows, the citadel, the Temple of Worship, the Forest of Immortality and the gardens, with no success. It was as if she had simply vanished.