Bound By Blood: (The Betrayed Series Book 2) (10 page)

“Do you realize that you can bring laughter to the most demanding of situations?”

Noah quirks an eyebrow in response.

“Do you remember that time we were all in Kuwait?”

“Yeah, I remember. That place was a dream,” Noah replies sarcastically.

Ignoring his barb, I roll my eyes and press on. “You know what kept us all going?”

Noah shakes his head.

I jut my chin in his direction. “That was all you, man. Those stupid jokes you told. Always making us laugh. Hell, if it weren’t for you, I think we would have gone crazy on that Op. What I’m trying to say is, I know we don’t say it often, but we’re here for you, man. All of us. Thank you for trying to pull my head out of my ass. I know I’ve been a . . . how did you say it? Oh, yeah, a grade-A asshole lately. It’s . . . tough, and I’m not making any promises, but I’ll try to be less of a dick. So, thanks.”

My words trail off on a whisper as I turn around, letting myself focus on the building in front of us once again. A firm grip clasps my shoulder, squeezing for just an instant.

“T-That was beautiful, man.” Noah sniffles, pretending to cry.

“You’re an ass,” I growl.

“Yeah, but you love me anyway.” Smirking, he centers his attention back on the job at hand.

“More like a pain in my ass.”

“Alpha.” Noah’s sharp, commanding tone has my head snapping in his direction. Discretely, he nods in the direction of the store. Whirling my head around, I see a dark figure slinking in the shadows exiting the side entrance.

“Do you think it’s Sang-Hyun,” he asks.

“Not a chance,” I reply.

“Yeah, I didn’t think he’d come sneaking out the side door.”

“Nope. He’d come waltzing out the front door for everyone to see. The man thinks he’s a god. He fears no one so there’s no reason for him to go creeping out the side entrance.”

“Think we can get anything off of this guy?”

“I don’t know, but we sure as hell are gonna try,” I growl.

“Fuck yeah!” Noah chimes, fist pumping the air.

Rolling my eyes, I keep my gaze focused on the man indulging in a heated conversation on his cell phone in the alley.

“What’s the plan? You wanna just stroll up and take him by force?”

“It’s a viable option. I haven’t ruled it out. Coercion is also an option.” Noah’s face contorts, twisting into one of disbelief. He locks his gaze on mine for a moment, his stare penetrating mine. I’m quite sure he’s trying to determine if I’ve lost my mind. He doesn’t believe we can coerce the punk.

Slowly, I shake my head as a feral grin begins to spread across my face. “Noah, Noah, Noah. How you doubt me after all this time.” I tsk. “You should know better than that.” My bloodthirsty smile spreads a little broader.

“Oh, I don’t doubt you, Alpha. I just thought we’d save the mess until we got somewhere that we could . . . contain the situation,” Noah says with a mischievous smile in his voice.

“Well, I’ll be damned . . .” Noah’s voice trails off as he stares at the man whose face is no longer concealed in the shadows.

“Isn’t that Gyeong Chee?” My eyes narrow on the man’s face, confirming my suspicions. Fuck. It is Gyeong Chee. He happens to be a nasty SOB, he has dealings with the Kkangpae, running drugs, prostitution, and even some rumors of human trafficking. If this fucker has anything to do with my Goddess’s disappearance, I will readily inflict excessive amounts of—what do the human rights activists call it—oh, that’s right . . . maltreatment.

If only they knew how many times that “maltreatment” saved their asses from getting blown to bits. Yet we will continue to fight and die to keep them safe, and they’ll never know the difference. Noah nudges me in the side. Glaring at him, I ask, “What?”

“I said, yes, that’s him. And I asked how we’re gonna proceed?”

Scowling, I look back at the man in the alley. “Let’s attempt coercion first. If, and only if, that fails, then it turns into a snatch and grab. I really want to take him willingly first.”

Noah snorts. “When in the hell do they ever go willingly?”

“Never.” I smile.

“You’re bad.”

Shrugging, I respond, “I’m just trying to find my girl. And we both know I’m gonna do whatever it takes to find her.”

Nodding, his smile is cold and cunning. “Well, it looks like we’ll have our chance because our man is on the move,” he says, inclining his head toward the alley.

“Time to roll,” I say, opening the door and jumping out of the vehicle at the same time as Noah. Using darkness as our cover, we palm our weapons, silently making our way across the alley where Chee is trekking toward us. Blood rushes through my veins as my heart pounds furiously in anticipation. Each inhalation fuels my muscles, feeding them for what’s to come. Running silently through the alley, Noah and I close the remaining distance, coming to a stop around the corner of the building.

Peering around the ledge, I motion for Noah, waving him around so that we can take Chee from both sides. Reading my signals, he backtracks around the perimeter, getting into position. After a few moments pass, Chee comes into view. With a sharp whistle, the signal is sent. Noah leaps off the ledge he was concealed on, landing just to the side of Chee. With a grunt, Chee takes several steps back, reaching for something in his waistband.

Rushing around the corner of the building, I charge Chee, using my shoulder to ram into his chest. Grunting, all of the wind is knocked out of him as he stumbles back several paces into the wall. Not having a moment to spare, we each grab an arm, securing Chee so he’s unable to reach for a weapon. Safety is always the first priority on any Op. Blowing out a breath, I look at the man in front of me. At first glance, he really doesn’t seem like much.

However, looks can be deceiving. Hell, I know that from personal experience. Shit, just look at Sabrina. She’s a perfect example. Mentally, I dispel all thoughts from my head other than the task at hand. My eyes narrow down to tiny slits, zeroing in on Chee as I snarl, “It’s come to my attention that you may have some information in your possession that I will be requiring. So we can do this one of two ways. The easy way or the hard way. And I’m really hoping that you choose option number two . . .” I let my words fade into nothingness. The only sound that can be heard is Chee’s panting.

The man’s chest is rising and falling so rapidly I’m hoping he doesn’t have a damn heart attack before I get the chance to interrogate him. His eyes go wide for half a second before a cold gleam washes over him, and he leans forward.

“Do your worst, gentlemen.”

Tossing my head back, I bark out a laugh that’s devoid of all humor. “Oh, you have no idea what you’re asking for.”

With my free hand, I seize hold of his hair, brutally snatching his head to the right. Chee struggles, thrashing wildly as my grip tightens and I move us into the shadows, obscuring us further. With a sharp nod to Noah, I watch as he sinks the needle into Chee’s thick neck muscle. A smile plays at my lips as I watch Noah pushing the plunger down, flooding his system with the chemical that will have him out within moments. Raging, Chee jerks his head back and forth as spittle flies from the corners of his mouth. “You will not get away with this,” he screams.

Holding eye contact with Chee, I vow, “You will give me the information I seek. And I promise you, I will extract that information by any means necessary.”

For the first time, Chee’s eyes grow large, holding a hint of fear. A smug grin stretches across my face as his lids begin to close and he slumps forward. “Nighty night,” I whisper.

“You’re such a douche,” Noah jokes.

“Just help me lug his heavy ass back to the vehicle, will ya? We’ve got work to do.”

Tracking back the way we came, Noah and I swiftly load our passenger into the vehicle and make our way back to our rendezvous point. It was time to get to work. For the first time since my Goddess had gone missing, I felt a sliver of hope work its way into the cracks that had spread through my soul. I just hope and pray that something, anything would come out of this interrogation and point me in the right direction.

H
EAVY WEIGHTS SEEM TO HAVE
descended upon my body, pressing me down into a harsh, springy mattress. Mattress . . . a mattress? My mind spins, the images passing through a revolving door too fast to see. The sense that I’m missing something important . . . a key piece of information weighs heavily on me. I gasp as consciousness slams into me with a vengeance. It pricks at the edges of my exhausted brain.

My throat constricts as an overwhelming urge to panic threatens to pull me back into the dark abyss. Oh God. How did I end up on a mattress? The last thing I remember was being strung up from the ceiling and caned. Shivers dance down my spine as I recall my mother’s fingers embracing my sides in a palliative caress. A small groan slips past my lips in remembrance of the vicious bite from the cane.

Her henchman wielded the cane with broad, sweeping strokes that lashed into my back, tearing my flesh. Even with my eyes still closed, it feels as if the walls are closing in on me. Memories resurface, assaulting me from all sides with such potency I’m left temporarily stunned. It’s as if I’m still bound and hanging from the hook in her basement. Lashes rained down like droplets of water in a summer storm. Tears form behind my sealed lids, the warmth slipping from beneath my lashes and traveling a path down my cheeks, pooling on the mattress beneath me.

I don’t try to stop them. I let them come. Let the tears fall for each lash suffered. He gave sadism a new meaning, flogging me to the point of no return . . . and I know he enjoyed every last moment. I tremble as the memory strikes me like a thief in the night.

Screaming, my head lolls forward. With a flick of his wrist, the cane swishes through the air, making a slicing sound that could be heard for miles. Searing pain blossoms in my right side, dancing along my nerve endings, unfurling in the pit of my stomach. Brandishing his cane, another strike lands along my lower back, dangerously close to my ass. Biting my lip, I fight the urge to scream as my stomach pitches and rolls, the urge to vomit becoming increasingly hard to tamp down. Grinding his erection into my ass, his lips hover a breath away from my ear as he murmurs, “Mmmm. It pleases me to see you stripped and bound, bleeding from my ministrations. Can you feel what you do to me?” He emphasizes his words by thrusting his erection into the crevice of my ass.

The action forces his body closer, pressing into the open wounds on my excoriated backside. It’s as if I’ve been struck by lightning, a pain so intense it threatens to incinerate me from the inside out. Spots flicker before my eyes, and I pray that darkness takes me to that place where I can find solace, a brief respite, if only for a moment.

Delicate touches trace soothing patterns along the tops of my shoulders. The touch jolts me out of the memory and back to the present. A split second passes before my heart threatens to leap out of my chest. Fighting the heaviness within, I catapult my eyes open. Ragged breaths saw in and out of my lungs as I frantically struggle to grasp my bearings. Crouching before me is a slender woman with long dark hair and kind eyes.