Without Limits: A BWWM Collection of Passion and Desire, page 73
I jumped from his harsh tone. I hugged myself, covered myself from what I wasn't sure. The events of the day shook me. He almost died. I may have killed a man, but my questions annoyed him.
Well fuck him.
"Mika...”
Before he could say more, I turned and walked in the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
I expected him to follow me, but wasn't surprised when he didn't.
I turned the shower on as hot as I could stand. I removed the bandana and pulled the rubber band out of my hair. I stood under the spray.
I had sand in some interesting places and my muscles burned.
I took my time, washing my body twice, washing my hair.
The steam filled the little room.
When the hot water ran out, I turned it off. I continued to stall by combing out my hair. Getting all the tangles out of my weave. I fixed it into two braids and secured them with black rubber bands I found in the drawer.
He needed to figure this out.
It was my life we were talking about. I ran my hand down the two braids. I looked like a little girl, playing the part. I wanted to cut it all off, something to lighten the load of the pain and heartache in my chest.
I wanted to go home. I wanted Conor to take me home and stay with me. Make good on his promise of forever.
I stalled long enough. I wrapped the big blue towel around me and walked out into the bedroom ready to face him and get some answers. I couldn’t live in ignorant bliss. It was how I got into this mess in the first place.
Chapter Twenty-One
Conor
The resounding slam of the door irritated me.
Fuck.
I took a step toward it, but stopped myself.
Mika was upset, but she needed her space right now.
I got it.
She had to be overwhelmed. The kidnapping, the guns, the running, it was a lot to take.
I couldn’t get distracted by Mika anymore. Not until this job was done. The fact I had to blow up my house meant it was far from done.
I rubbed the back of my neck and shuffled toward the bed. I grabbed the two bags and dumped out the content.
I had Carter pick up a few things for Mika. Jeans and t-shirts, a little black dress and some underwear far too sexy than I was comfortable with considering my brother picked them out for her.
I picked up a set of pajamas, a white tank top and pink camouflage boy shorts. I laid them out on the bed for her.
I smirked when I noticed the graphic on the t-shirt.
Daddy’s little girl.
I’ll pound him for it later, but I couldn’t wait to see Mika in it. She was my little girl. I had made up my mind. When we made it out of this mess, I would do what ever I had to in order to be with her.
I fell hard for Mika and wanted to tell her, but I needed to wait until we were back in the real world. Girls flipped their shit over being rescued and protected. In the real world, her feelings may change and I had to prepare myself for it.
I wanted Mika in my life, but did she want me in hers.
We weren’t going to figure it out until we stopped running from the bad guys.
By the time I laid out the pajamas and put the other clothes away, the shower continued to run. Steam came out from under the door.
If space was what she needed, I’d give it to her.
Fuck. I needed it too.
I went back on deck and found the others busy at work in the command center
Will sat hunched over on the couch typing away at his computer.
Sam stood in the middle of a bank of monitors, scanning each one.
On one of the monitors, I spotted Carter at the helm of the ship. He called it Ella, named after his wife. Two years ago, some gangbanger in Brooklyn, took her life. The case remained unsolved. He moved to Miami to grieve.
I doubt he had started.
Carter lived it up, fucked anything with a pretty face, and took strangers out on romantic excursions. How he could stand being around couples when he had lost his true love, I’d never understand, but maybe it was his way of coping. He put on a brave face, but I saw it. He was running, too. It was time for all of us to stop.
“What do you got?”
Both Will and Sam looked at each other before facing me. They paused too long and I knew it was bad.
“What’s going on?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
Will stood up.
Brian punched up a recording on the center screen.
A news report on CNN ran and Mika’s face popped up on the screen.
Underneath her picture, next to the words Breaking News, I saw it.
Millionaire’s daughter kidnapped by International Security Firm. Company may be a front for sex trafficking operation.
The game had changed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Conor
Conor’s face stopped me in my tracks. He sat on the edge of the bed. He rubbed his face as he stared off into space.
It wasn’t the sexy dominant gaze he reserved for me. Something had changed. Deep lines distorted his features. He rubbed the back of his neck and blinked as I came into his line of sight. His face softened a bit. A small smile peeked out from the pain and worry.
I wanted to go to him, and comfort him like the first day I met him. Back then, I didn’t. Now, Conor was mine. As much as he wanted to take care of me and protect me, I owed him the same.
I ran over to the bed and wrapped my arms around him.
He held me close.
I ran my hands through his hair and squeezed the pressure point on his ear with one hand while massaging his neck with the other.
Conor pulled off my towel and held me tighter.
“You smell good.” Conor pulled me on his lap.
I leaned back and rubbed the worry lines off of his forehead and massaged his temples.
“You feel good.” He said as he closed his eyes.
I kissed him, licked his bottom lip, drew it in my mouth, and sucked it. I massaged his scalp and felt the tension melt away. My nipples hardened as I rubbed against Conor’s hard chest.
I dipped my tongue in his mouth and took possession of it, claimed it.
It was mine. All of Conor belonged to me and I belong to him and nothing he was about to tell me would change anything.
He pulled my hands down and leaned back. Some of the hardness had faded.
“Stand up, little girl.” Conor said.
I crawled off of his lap.
Conor grabbed a par of pink camouflage boy shorts from off the bed and held them open.
I stepped in them.
He placed a white tank top over my head and pulled it down.
I read the graphic and giggle.
Conor grinned as he traced the letters across my chest.
My nipples protruded through the fabric. They ached for his touch.
Conor stopped teasing me and reached over and grabbed a pair of sweatpants. He held them open for me to step in.
I didn’t protest.
He put a white hoodie on me and zipped it up.
When he was done dressing me, his hands dropped to his knees and he looked up at me.
“Come on.” He took my hand. “I have to show you something.”
I followed Conor out of the stateroom and into what I assumed was the command center. All the guys looked up when I walked in. The expressions on their face told me nothing. Except for Carter’s face. He hadn’t quite mastered the art of the poker face like Conor and his guys.
He attempted a smile, but sadness and concern clouded it.
I gripped Conor's arm and scanned the screens. Most of them were surveillance cameras; others were news feeds from MSNBC, Fox News. The screen in the middle had a CNN logo at the bottom, but the screen was paused.
“Play it for her.” Conor said. He sat on a stool next to a high top table in the back of the room.
“Does she really need to see it?” Carter walked toward us.
Conor put his hand up.
He stopped.
I shuddered.
“She can handle it.” Conor pulled me between his legs and held me around the waist. “She’s the bravest woman I know.”
He placed a quick kiss on the side of my head.
Brave.
I didn’t feel brave. Scare and uncertain about the world and how we got here. I thought nothing would surprise me, but I’ve spent the last seventy-two hours in a constant state of shock. I ran my hand over Conor’s arms and laced my fingers with his.
“Show it to me.” I said.
Will pressed a few buttons on the panel in front of the monitors and moved out of the way.
An older gentleman with sandy brown hair and a distinguish air about him sat at a desk with his arms resting on it. He spoke with a deep voice and stared right into the camera.
“Breaking News out of Colombia. Victor Thompson, noted agriculture engineer and entrepreneur’s, daughter has been kidnapped and held for ransom by none other than the security force hired to protect him. You may remember Invincible Security out of New York was integral in the protection of Secretary of State Dawson during his ordeal in Columbia last year. According to Mr. Thompson, the firms Co-CEO, Conor Brandson, left with Mika three days ago with no word. A ransom note was left on the gate of his villa yesterday. Surveillance video showed the man, an Invincible Security employee leaving the note. ”
I gasped when my dad appeared on the screen.
“The note said that if I ever wanted to see my daughter again, I had to pay fifty million dollars.” A tear fell down his face. “That bastard was ...inappropriate my daughter from the moment we arrived in Colombia and then he just took her. I can’t believe I trusted him.” My dad choked back tears. “If you hurt one hair on her head, Conor Brandson you will regret it.”
“I don’t understand.” I turned to Conor.
“Mr. Thompson.” A young report with a microphone in his hand spoke. “I heard you spoke to Mika since she’s been taken. Explain how that happened.”
“I called Conor’s phone. The number he gave me for emergencies. I thought I could talk to him, reason with him.”
“He didn’t answer did he?” The reporter said.
“No.” My dad rubbed his face. “Mika did.”
“How did she sound?”
“Weak, confused.”
I blinked and tried to put it all together, but none of it made sense.
“She sounded drugged, out of it. She didn’t know where she was or how she got there.”
The reporter turned back to the camera.
“The local Columbian authorities along with the FBI are working together to bring Mika home to her father before it’s too late.”
Will stood up and hit a button to pause the video.
I was speechless. My heart raced and pounded in my ears.
I looked around the room and all eyes were on me.
“Conor.” Sam said. We turned toward him. “I have Agent Rogers and James on a secure feed.”
“Mika.” I turned in Conor’s arms. He held my face. “We have a plan. We are going to fix this.”
“Conor.” I whispered and looked down.
“You believe me.” He lifted my chin.
I nodded.
Conor stood up and moved in front of the bank of monitors.
A round black man’s image filled the screen. He had dark eyes and a baldhead, but a nice smile.
“Conor Brandson. What kind of mess have you gotten yourself in now?”
“Apparently you can add kidnapping to my list of sins.”
“I’ll make a note.” The man chuckled.
James appeared on another screen, his arm in a sling.
“Can I state for the record that this is a bad idea?” James chimed in.
What idea?
My father had called the police. They think Conor and his men kidnapped me.
Conor had a plan. What fucking plan?
“I’ll assume the young lady next to you is our victim?” Agent Rogers asked.
“I’m not a victim.” I whispered.
“This is Mika.” Conor moved his hand on my back.
“I’m not a victim.” I said louder.
“Ms. Mika. I’ve known James, Conor, and Carter all my life. They may be into a lot of shit, but kidnapping young women is not one of them.” He nodded. “Tell me what happened.”
Conor squeezed my hand.
“I was kidnapped, but Conor and his men, saved me.” I stared at the ground. “Who ever tried to take me won’t stop.”
“Yeah, cartels can be persistent.” Agent Rogers stood up. “But, believe me. You are in the safest place possible.” Conor put his arms around me.
Both their attempts at reassuring me sucked.
I exhaled and hugged myself.
“So break it down for me, what do you need?” Agent Rogers rubbed his baldhead.
I looked up at Conor.
He looked down at me and nodded his head. He caressed my cheek and turned back to the camera.
“I need you to arrest me.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Conor
Every muscle in Mika’s body tensed. She attempted to pull away from me. I pulled her back flush with my side.
“No,” She whispered.
Will continued laying out the plan for Agent Rogers.
I nodded, but didn’t look at Mika. If she looked the way I felt. I wouldn’t be able to do what I needed to do. I agreed with James. It was a shitty idea, but the only way I knew would keep Mika safe and allow me to get some answers and control over the situation.
“You think you can reason with Rodriguez.” Agent Rogers. “After you killed his son.”
“Well, it wasn’t his first son.” I shrugged as Will’s reasoning came to mind. “I just need to convince him to rein in his boys before the wrath of the United States government rains down on him and his family.
“No.” Mika said louder and the room turned toward her. “You can’t do this.” She turned to James on the screen. “You can’t let him do this.”
“Mika.” I grabbed her arm.
She wrenched it out of my grasp and approached Will.
“There has to be a better way.” She said.
Will held his hands up in the air and opened his mouth. No words came out.
“Mika.” I said louder. “It’s going to be fine. Why don’t you go get some rest?”
“No. You can’t just dismiss me. This is my life you’re discussing.” She tapped her foot.
“We’re trying to keep you safe,” I said.
“I’m safer with you.” She whimpered and dropped her head to her chest.
“I have to do this to protect you.”
She lifted her head.
“You said you would take care of me.” She said. Tears streamed down her face. “You said you wouldn't let anyone hurt me. You promised.”
“Mika.” I shook my head.
She stared at me. Her jaw tense, her arms cross over her chest. The tears continued to fall.
Each tear broke my heart a little more.
“It’s the only way to guarantee your safety.” I said.
“No. We can go somewhere. Take off somewhere and disappear.” Mika pleads with me.
“There’s no where to hide Mika.” I stepped to her. “Don’t you get it? It’s either all of us dead, you dead, or this.” I held my hand out.
Mika recoiled against my outstretched hand.
We all remained silent. I had no clue what to say to her to reassure her. It was the only way I could get to Rodriguez and when I got to him, he could put a stop to his son.
“No. I don’t get it. You’re not doing this to protect me.” She stepped towards me. “It’s to protect yourself, your friends, and your precious company.”
“Mika.” My tone softened.
Mika’s gaze swept across the room. She grunted and stomped toward me.
She stood in front of me. Her body coiled with tension. Sweat moistened her skin. She pouted and held my gaze, challenging me. She dared me to say something, but it wasn’t up for negotiations. I’d beg her for forgiveness later. It was going to happen regardless.
She continued to stare me down. Fuck forgiveness. I’ll spank her ass for disrespecting me. I stepped towards her, towered over her and growled.
When I didn’t back down, she released a frustrating grunt. She nudged me out of her way as she marched out of the room.
She was pissed at me now, but once it was all over, she’d understand. I was doing this to protect her, to keep her safe.
To ensure we had a forever.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Mika
I stomped into Conor’s room and slammed the door.
I knew he wouldn’t follow. He was as stubborn as me.
Stubborn and stupid if he thought getting himself arrested for kidnapping would be the best way to protect me.
I paced back and forth in the room, hoping to suppress my anxiety. It wasn’t working.
I pulled on my braids and grunted again.
I shook my head and grabbed them again. The hair on my head felt alien. I stormed into the bathroom and yanked. They were sewn in tight.
I stared at myself in the mirror. I unzipped the hoodie and traced the glittery letters.
Daddy's Little Girl.
I didn’t recognize myself. I looked different than I felt. I yanked my braid again.
“Ugh.”
I slammed my hand on the counter and dropped my head. It wasn’t going to end like this.
We had come so far and been through too much shit to lose now. Fuck letting him decide my fate. It was my life and I had a say in it.
I looked up into the mirror and shuddered.
I searched the drawer next to the sink. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for. It wasn’t in there. I shut it and opened the second drawer. The light caught the blade at the right angle. I reached in, stretched out my left braid and cut.
The scissors were sharp and made a clean cut through. I immediately felt lighter. I cut off the other one and dropped it to the ground.
