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

The entire ride to base, my mind is on Kylee, thinking of our future together and the life we’ll build. My mind conjures up visions of her in white and then immediately turns to me peeling her out of the dress, causing my dick to get hard. Giving my head a shake, I notice we’re arriving on base. Pulling out my ID, I’m waved through and push all thoughts of Kylee aside as I focus on my job at hand. Distractions kill. I’ve got something to live for . . . someone to live for. I can’t afford to be distracted, not that I could have before. My brothers mean too much to me.

Marching into the brigade conference room, I’m stunned, halted in my tracks as I take in the amount of people huddled into our room. Brighton, Sam, Noah, and Cooper all share the same expression as I waltz in. Shit’s about to hit the fan. The last time this much brass was in a room . . . well, it was bad. Taking a seat next to Sam, I nudge him, asking, “Any idea what’s going on yet?”

Grimacing, he shakes his head. “No, they were waiting for you. I’ve got a bad feeling about this, AJ.”

A lance shoots straight through my chest, squeezing like a vice. Sam’s hunches are always spot on and nothing to scoff at. My stomach lurches at the thought. Colonel Black clears his throat, bringing the room to attention. Men file in, taking a seat around the table, all eyes zeroing in on the Colonel.

“We’ve just received a tip about a kidnapping not more than an hour ago.”

One of the brass speaks up, asking, “So this tip, can it be trusted?”

“Yes,” Colonel Black replies, matter of fact.

“Why are we getting involved? What makes this top priority? I mean, we’re dragging Delta into this.”

Colonel Black’s eyes narrow to slits as he slides folders across the table to each one of us. “Because one of our Colonel’s daughters has been kidnapped, and we have reason to believe the local Kkangpae are involved. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let them get away with it.”

A million tiny knots form in my stomach at his words. Grasping the folder with trembling fingers, I open the cover. Fighting a scream, I squeeze my eyes shut. The weight of the world descends on me, making it difficult to breathe. Saliva leaves a bitter taste in my mouth as I try swallowing back my nausea. Sam nudges me with his shoulder. My eyes meet his worried gaze as he mouths “Are you okay?” Unable to answer, I just shake my head.

Okay? Hell no I’m not okay. My heart has just been ripped from my chest, stolen from me. Gold glints in the light as my fingers caress her face from the folder. Tiny pants saw in and out of my lungs, each one a shard of glass slicing me from the inside. Silently, I send up a prayer: God, please keep her safe until I get to her. Fuck, take me instead . . . please . . . take me instead. The top of my head brushes my arm as I glare at the folder in front of me. My soul screams, shattered and broken, split in two as my heart thumps wildly, willing to give out.

Coaxing my mind out of the pain, I focus on the rage now burning deep within my soul. Gone. My Goddess is gone. Taken . . . and nothing will stand in my way of getting her back.

S
HROUDED IN DARKNESS, MY PAST
begins to haunt my dreams. For a moment, it feels like reality, being strapped down and held captive while someone inspects you. Blinking my gritty eyes, I slowly come to, and the hazy room begins to come into focus. Swallowing roughly, I glance around the cramped space, taking in my surroundings. The unfamiliar room is dark and musty, reminding me of an old basement or a warehouse. Gasping, my eyes grow wide, panic setting in as I peer down at my immobile limbs shackled to a chair.

I’m not sure how much time has passed since I was put here, but judging by the stiffness of my muscles, it’s been a while. Memories of being drugged and taken against my will start coming back little by little. Groaning, I look up to the ceiling. “You’re such an idiot, Kylee,” I mutter. My intuition was right. Something was off about Madame Lin. I should have known better than to go back to that place.

Now, who knows what’s going to happen. I don’t even know what I’m doing here. Why would they want me, anyway?

“Well, look who finally decided to wake up,” an unfamiliar voice sounds from the doorway.

Squinting, I blink several times, trying to gain my bearings. The only light in the room is a small bulb swinging from a cord in the ceiling. It’s uncanny how much it looks like one of those dank, dark places you’d see in an action film. Shivering, my eyes dart to the unfamiliar voice still secluded in the shadows.

“What, nothing to say?” the voice growls from the entrance. Now moving toward me, the voice continues taunting. “No need to speak just yet. We have ways of making you talk. Besides, there’s someone who wants to speak with you.”

Words were spoken, yet I barely registered anything that was said over the fierce beating of my heart. Gulping, I fight the tears building behind my eyes as my arms and legs tremble uncontrollably. Stepping into the dim light, the man before me is breathtakingly dangerous. He wears a dour expression that is made more severe by the scar running from just under his left eye to the bottom of his lip. His long, jet-black hair is secured in a tight ponytail. Sneering, he pauses as his onyx eyes peruse my body, heating with arousal.

Bile rises, clawing its way up my throat, forcing me to choke it back. Reaching me, he slowly runs his fingers down the inside of my calves to where the chain is secured. I’m unable to hide the shudder my body produces from his touch. Catching my reaction, he smirks as his hands continue to caress my calves. Each rough caress tells a story. The truth is in the roughness of his touch. Shrinking to make myself smaller, I try to force myself deeper into the chair, away from him.

Peering at me with hooded eyes, he says, “I’m going to unchain you. If you dare to run or try anything stupid, you will regret it.”

The underlying promise in his words has knots forming in my stomach as I nod my agreement. Unchaining my legs, he swiftly moves behind me to my bound arms, releasing me. Sighing, I rub my wrists, forcing the blood to circulate once again. Moving to stand in front of me, he motions for me to rise. On wobbly legs, I come to a stand, watching with wide eyes as he outstretches his hand for me. Instinctively flinching from the contact, I find myself cringing once again when he bellows loudly in my ear.

“Agassi, this will either be done the easy way or the hard way. Now let’s go,” he says, grasping my elbow, pulling me through the door.

Silently following, I use the time to take in my surroundings, looking for clues as to where I am. To my dismay, the only things that surround me are unmarked walls and dusty floors—absolutely nothing recognizable. Frustration gnaws in the pit of my stomach as he drags me through the musty hallway. Reaching a staircase, he shoves me forward.

“Remember what I said, Agassi. Don’t be foolish. I’d hate to have to mar a pretty face like yours.”

Rapidly blinking away tears, I take the few steps up to the main floor. Sunlight assaults me as I stand at the top of the stairs, waiting for my eyes to acclimate to the brightness. The man from downstairs gives me a little shove, causing me to stumble. As I catch myself, my eyes roam around the room, taking everything in. Why would I be in an empty restaurant? Coming to my side, he grasps my elbow once more, leading me in the direction of a corner table.

Panic threatens to overtake me as my knees become weak and wobbly. The urge to flee is rapidly gnawing at my insides. It’s a feeling that will not subside, as if my subconscious knows I must leave soon if I wish to survive. Danger seems to lurk around every corner in this place, leaving me to drum up the worst possible scenarios in my mind. Coming to a stop before a small table with a hibachi grill in the center, several men are standing around, speaking with a woman. The familiar voice is like a bucket of ice water being thrown on me.

No longer under my control, my body begins to shake violently. My once weak and wobbly knees begin to give way until a hand tightens on my arm, causing me to whimper in pain. The men in front of me disperse, leaving me eye to eye with the last person I ever wanted to see again. A feral grin stretches across her beautiful face as I gasp.

“Hello, Ttal.”

The nickname is like a knife to the heart. Unable to speak, I swallow harshly and nod. Her eyes narrow as she glares at me. “Is that any way to greet your mother, Ttal?”

Slowly, memories of my childhood invade reality, forcing me to remember all of the times she punished me for not answering her in a timely fashion. Of course, her idea of a timely fashion was immediately, as in drop everything and do what she said then and there . . . or else.

Shaking my head, I avert my eyes to the floor. “No, ma’am. I apologize.”

Smirking, she looks me over for a few moments before replying, “Much better. I taught you better than that. You’d do well to remember your lessons.”

Responding immediately to avoid repercussions, I say, “Yes, ma’am.”

Her body instantly relaxes as she sits back and nods to the man still gripping my arm. With a forceful shove, he pushes me down onto the cushion. Involuntarily, I groan as the pain boomerangs throughout my body. My mother’s eyes narrow in my direction at the slip. Dropping my eyes to the floor once again, I sit, silently praying she will have no further use for me and let me go. I almost groan aloud at the thought.

She’ll never let me go. This is all a game to her. Deftly, my fingers begin twisting and pulling at the hem of my shirt. Snapping her fingers, she brings my attention to her once more.

“Ttal, do you know why you’re here?”

Unable to speak, I shake my head. Flattening her lips into a thin line, she speaks, disdain dripping from each of her words. “You will answer me when I speak to you. Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes, I understand.”

“Good, now answer the question.”

“N-No, I don’t know why I’m here.”

“Well, my dear, all in good time. All in good time.” She stops, leveling me with her devilish eyes. “It’s clear that you’ve become lax in your training since my departure.”

It’s as if she’s slapped me in the face. Training . . . Is she serious? This woman is clearly freaking mental. She used to beat me and whore me out to her friends, and she calls that training? I’ve got to find a way out of here. There’s no telling what she’ll do if I stay.

For just a moment, I allow my eyes to drift to the side, scanning the room before me. Large windows line the front of the restaurant with several tables scattered throughout the space. Judging by my limited visibility, there are two exits: a door toward the front of the restaurant and one off to the side, both of which are being manned by two equally burly and very angry men. Fighting the urge to sigh, my shoulders slump forward as my mother’s voice washes over me. The small bit of hope I’d had of escaping this nightmare is quickly fleeting, seeing how heavily guarded the place is.

“I should have never let you stay with Kyle. He’s clearly coddled you all these years. I mean, look at you.”

The mention of my father’s name has me twitching on the cushion. Why would she even mention him? Why would she even care that I was left behind? I don’t understand. Coddled? Confusion sets in, muddling my thoughts further.