CHAPTER THIRTY
Crystal’s eyes flew open as the acrid stench of smelling salts hit her nose. She instantly regretted the slight movement as her head swam and her stomach roiled. The painful throbbing and swelling in her cheek reduced the visibility in her left eye to crap and her right eye wasn’t able to focus any better. The last thing she remembered was learning Anthony’s secrets, but who had hit her? And more important, had she been drugged and if so, for how long?
Wait. The scent of the smelling salts faded to an aftershave that was familiar. Recently familiar.
Her vision focused and she realized the support holding her upright was Anthony DeMateo. Noticing that she was gaining consciousness, he released her to stand on her own feet. Her knees buckled and a cry broke past her dry lips despite the determination to not show any weakness.
A hook in the ceiling held a chain that connected to the bands securing her wrists above her head, keeping her on her feet. The muscles along her shoulders burned under the strain of her weight.
With her one good eye, she searched the room for a possible means of escape.
Where in the hell was she?
Soft, almost romantic lighting glowed from sconces from the four corners of the room, bathing the brown suede–covered the walls. An oversized bed covered in sumptuous pillows of cinnamon and tan lay to her left. Tied to each of the hooks drilled into the corners of the four-poster frame was a rope that ended in fur-lined handcuffs. A shelving unit stood next to the bed stocked with bottles of lubricant and an assortment of dildos and whips displayed in neat rows.
On her right sat the heavy equipment. A St. Andrew’s cross and two other tables made to separate and fold into any desired position lined up like soldiers ready for duty. What was this place? BDSM Depot?
She wanted to snort at the clichéd setting, but her face hurt too much to even grimace.
“Crystal?” A deep voice penetrated the haze of her brain. “It’s Ethan. Are you awake?”
A relieved breath escaped before she could school her features. Yes. I’m tied up somewhere. Anthony is with me. I think he’s alone.
“I know, honey. Just sit tight, the cavalry is coming. I’ll stay with you and keep you updated on their progress.”
Thank you.
She was not alone. Even though he stopped communicating, she felt Ethan hovering in her mind like a soft hum along her consciousness. Embracing that small comfort, she warily lifted her head to search for Max’s true enemy.
Anthony sat across from her in a straight-back chair near the only exit to the room that she could see. He watched her with assessing, questioning eyes, his legs casually crossed. His suit jacket was draped off the back of the chair, his cuffs rolled over his forearms, and a snifter of brandy rested loosely in his grip. As she continued to stare at him, he relaxed further in his seat and met her gaze.
A full minute passed in silence before she wiggled her arms. The chains clanged, dispelling the silence. “Bondage? How unexpected,” she drawled. “Were your friends too tired to play?”
He blinked once and a small smile flirted with the corner of his mouth. “They had some business to take care of. They’ll be along shortly. Believe me, it wasn’t a hardship to hold you in my arms. I am going to guess you’re the clairvoyant. The one they call Prism.” He lifted the snifter to his lips and took a drink. “So. What does the future hold for me?”
This time she let her grin bunch her cheeks despite the pain. “Certain death.”
He gave a short bark of laughter, then tipped his head back to chuckle longer and heartier. He composed himself with a sigh and winked at her. “I see why Max likes you. But that was perfectly trite. Everyone will face death. I want to know more specifics.”
“I want to know why you betrayed Max. He would have fought to the death for you.”
“Lucky him, he still might get his chance.” He placed the snifter on a low table next to the chair and stood. “I know it may appear as if I’ve betrayed him, but in actuality I was protecting him, protecting everyone. Matthew is a visionary. His ideas are genius, and he has the power and ambition to make them a reality. But his attention span is shit. All it takes is a pair of tits and a tight ass to make him lose focus. He’s a sex addict, and that type of man is not what the world needs as a leader.”
“And you think you are.”
“I know I am.” He stepped closer, his alcohol-scented breath aggravating her stomach. He brought his finger up to trail a scrolling pattern along her battered cheek. “If I went after Madden myself, it would show a weakness in our organization that would lead the cause to certain failure. But Max… Ah, now Matthew burned that bridge himself years ago. I knew all I had to do was point Max in the right direction and he’d take out his father as I continued my work. But I thought he would accomplish that the old-fashioned way, with computers and information. Place Matthew in jail forever. If only I had known about Max’s power. I would have definitely tried a different tactic to achieve my plans. Where did his powers come from? How did you get yours?”
His fingers stroked along her neck and shoulders with reverence, and he gazed at her as if she were a rare treasure he couldn’t wait to plunder. Her skin crawled under his touch, and she wished she felt sick enough to vomit all over him, just to get him to back away.
“Max would never have helped you. You said it yourself, he’s the smartest man on the planet. He would’ve seen through you in an instant.”
“You’re right. Max is smart. But he’ll see reason when I explain what it is I am trying to accomplish. After you’re dead, he’ll believe me when I tell him that Madden was the one who killed you. Max will seek his revenge for certain.”
She laughed in his face despite his threat. She had seen her death, and it wasn’t in this S&M den.
Anger, on behalf of herself and Max, gave her the courage to hold her ground. “Max knows all about you, about how you’re The Second. He will never join you.”
Anthony stilled and his smug grin faltered. “That’s impossible. No one but Madden knows my true identity.”
“Uh, duh. Superhumans here.” She smirked.
He gripped her hair at the back of her neck and pulled hard, tilting her head back. “How?” he growled.
Tears welled in her eyes as she spat through gritted teeth, “Doesn’t matter. He knows all about you, and he’s going to rip out your heart and piss in the hole. Just give up now, and take it like a man.”
A flash of fear made his pupils widen, before his brow furrowed while he formulated a plan. The look reminded her so much of Max it broke her heart.
He released her hair and slid his palm down her neck to rest over her thudding heart. His thumb brushed the stone in her necklace once, then twice, before he stopped and scooped it up in his palm. His knowing laughter made the hair on her arms stand up with dread.
“Ingenious. You can barely see it.” He unlatched the heavy chain and turned the stone over and over. “Has he been watching the entire time?” He flicked the matching earrings. “What are these? Microphones? Can he hear us right now? Well, let’s give him something worth watching.”
He walked across the room and hung the necklace off a hook attached to the back of the door. He stalked back to her with the hungry look of a predator about to enjoy his meal.
“Yes. This will do nicely,” he murmured and picked up a flogger with a two-feet-long suede tails. He brushed his fingers over her lips. “Let’s show Max just how well I can treat his girl.”
The silk of her dress bunched and rippled as he ran the flogger in teasing glances over her body. The gentle smack of suede on skin made her flinch more than the contact, but she knew that at any moment the gentle brushes could turn violent.
Ethan. Please. Where is everyone? Silence. Ethan? Ronan? Someone please hurry.
Nothing, not a glimmer of response. Oh God, something must have happened. They would not leave her on her own without good cause. Plan, a plan. She needed a plan.
“Come on, Max. Come out, come out from wherever you are,” Anthony taunted as he used the end of the flogger to lift the hem of her skirt.
Fuck a plan. She needed to act now.
Taking a deep breath, she allowed her body to sag. Her hands crept up the chains binding her wrists and tightened into fists around the cold metal.
With a grin, Anthony shifted his stance in preparation of swinging the flogger, giving her just enough room to drive her knee up into his groin, bending him double. His grunt of agony was oh so satisfying, but not nearly enough punishment.
She took several steps back, then ran forward to swing from the hook like Tarzan. The bottom of her pointy Louboutins punched into his chest and sent him soaring. The table and chair crashed under the weight of his falling body.
Crystal eyed his limp form, each of her panting breaths matching his groans as he rolled on the floor.
Working past the pain in her shoulders, she grabbed hold of the chain with both hands again and jumped. Up and around, she tried to dislodge it from the hook until third time was the charm. She ducked to avoid the fall of heavy links before kicking off her heels and making a run for the door. Thankfully, the door was unlocked and flew open at first try.
As much as she would have loved to stay and kick his ass some more, she raced down the darkened hallway. Hallway? It was more like a tunnel without a single window to give her any indication about where she was or how to get out.
Right or left? Right or left?
Instinct drew her to the right and she ran as best as she could while juggling the chain still attached to her wrists with each step.
Ethan, Ronan! Where are you guys?
“Crystal?”
Relief at hearing Ethan’s voice made her stumble. I’m running down a hall. I don’t know where I’m going.
“Max is right behind you, but he has company. Find a place to hide.”
Okay.
Her lungs burned with every breath, but she kept running, determined to find safety. Hope spurred her faster as the floor began to rise at an incline. A door with a steel bar across it stood at the end of the hall. She paused just long enough to release the handle and throw it open. Damp grass met her bare feet, making her toes curl with the cold.
The chain smacked against her shins as she ran across the open lawn in search of shelter. Goose bumps broke out over her flesh in the chilly night air even as her silk dress clung to her sweat-dampened skin. At least it wasn’t raining.
As she approached a row of hedges, she could make out light coming from the main building. If she could reach the ballroom, hopefully she could become lost in the crowd or find Max.
She dashed through a break in the shrubbery and entered a courtyard, complete with stone pavers and wood benches. A cute little fountain burbled in the center that she would have stopped to admire if she wasn’t running for her life.
Madden burst into the courtyard, running in her direction from the other side. They both pulled up short when they spotted each other. Blood oozed from a cut across his cheek. His expensive suit hung off him in shredded ribbons.
He must have run into Ripley, she thought with a smirk. Was it a good or bad thing she still found humor in the midst of her fear? Perhaps she was closer to losing her ever-loving mind than she thought. Of course, crazy could also work in her favor.
Madden’s chest rose with a deep breath, and he straightened. Even dressed in his shredded suit, he exuded power and authority. “Well, isn’t this fortuitous.”
Crystal gathered the length of chain and let it swing from her hand. The clink of metal on metal sent a warning. “Excuse me. I would like to pass.”
He smiled at her. “Such backbone, such courage. It’s exquisite. My son couldn’t have picked a finer woman.”
“I’m so glad I have parental approval. Now get out of my way,” she snarled.
He hedged closer and reached for her. “I can’t do that. I seem to be without protection, and you’re my ticket out of here.”
“Guess again.”
She swung the metal chain like a whip, striking him in the arm. Madden grunted and backed away, then approached her from the right. She countered and swung again. This time he wrapped the chain around his arm and pulled. Instead of resisting, she allowed him to tug and used her momentum to plow into him.
Her forehead connected with his nose with a loud crack that made them both stagger back with a moan as stars swam in her vision. One Madden turned into two images before her. With all the hits to the head she was taking, if she wasn’t careful, she was going to suffer permanent brain damage.
“All right. I’m done playing.” Madden pulled a gun from what was left of his suit and leveled it right at her.
She stopped short as familiarity triggered her memory. Suddenly, she realized exactly where she stood. The foliage, the fountain, the gun. This was her vision. This was where she died.
All the fight went out of her in one deflated gasp of air. Fear crept into her mind in a dank mist bleeding her of hope.
Was this really her end? Would she never see Max again, hold him, love him?
Madden had played a part in the death of Max’s mother. That grief triggered his superpowers. What would Max do if his father killed her too? Would his powers grow to the level where he could destroy the planet with a single thought?
In her heart, she knew he would never let her death go unavenged. Dittmar had touched her and Max had been ready to fight to the death. Madden might as well turn the gun on himself afterward, because that would be a much less painful ending than what Max would inflict.
But what about afterward? Would he return to that dark, solitary existence where he trusted no one? Would he allow the others to fight without him? The thought of Max alone and bitter weakened her knees.
Tears filled her eyes, and she angrily blinked them away. No. No. No! If she expected Max to choose to live without her, then she had to fight to live now.
Ethan said that Max was right behind her. She couldn’t give up yet.
She lifted her chin and held out her arms to show her acquiescence. The chain clanked softly between her spread hands. “So what’s your plan?”
Madden blinked at her as if he was surprised by her change of compliance. “We walk out of here. There is a break in the fence through the woods. Once we’re on the road, we can go our separate ways.”
She snorted at that. “Yeah, right. Like you’ll just let me go. My team will be on us before we get ten feet.” She hoped.
“Which is why you are going to guarantee my protection.”
“Of course,” she replied with a touch of sarcasm. Her smile turned sickly sweet. “And who will protect you from the threat within your own organization?”
A curl of satisfaction warmed her insides as she saw his confidence falter. His stance wavered a little as his brow furrowed. “What are you talking about? I’m in complete control of my people.”
Her deep throaty laugh echoed in the night. “That’s a crock. How do you think Max knew about your plans? He was at Anthony’s the night he supposedly died. Max was the one who killed most of the men there. Anthony told him all of your secrets with the hope that Max would take you down. Apparently your love of sex has made you an unfit leader in Anthony’s eyes.” She smirked.
The muscles of his jaw flexed and his nostrils flared. His furious gaze moved to a point over her shoulder. “Is that true?”
“Yes,” a voice behind her answered.
Her heart sank further. Well, shit, just who she wanted to see.
Anthony appeared to her right with his own gun drawn and aimed at Madden. The tip of Madden’s gun wavered back and forth between the two of them. Hmm. Perhaps she could turn him into a temporary ally.
She slid a sideways glance at Anthony. “So, how’s your nut sack?”
He glared at her with murderous intent. How unexpected. Not. “Don’t. Start.”
She laughed and winked at Madden. “Well, you’ll have one less man to compete for the ladies with. His equipment won’t be functioning properly for a while.”
“He hasn’t felt pain yet,” Madden sneered. “You think you can overthrow me? How dare you. I made you.”
“Yes, you did. So it should be no surprise that it took very little effort to undermine you. Everyone knows I am the one makes things happen. You’re just the poster boy. The pretty bait to lure in the public. But you’ve dropped the ball there, Mattie. You lose focus too easily. That’s why you’ll have to go.”
The nose of Madden’s gun rose higher. “I’ll see you in hell first.”
Anthony grabbed her arm and dragged her in front of him. “That’s the point.”
Madden’s laugh made her stomach twist. “You think hiding behind a woman will save you? Think again.”
The blast of the gun echoed into the night.