Savage Desires (Black Rose Doms Book 3)

Chapter 3

It”s beenfive days since the night I stopped Todd Fucking Mallory from whipping my Beauty. It didn”t take much to find out who the fucker was. For as lax as the security at Mecca is, their digital security is locked up tighter than the Pope”s ass. It”s too bad for them that one of my many talents is hacking into systems. One look at their financials told me things are not what they seem at Mecca.

Hera was right. I”m interested… very interested.

They are obviously laundering money through the club—poorly, I might add. On the surface, everything looks fine, but with a little digging, it”s easy to get a picture of what”s happening. They are running a prostitution ring right out of the club. I give them a gold star for attempting to write it off like the girls are regular employees. There are even paycheck records and what look like personnel files for each girl. It would all look on the up and up, except those paychecks are all automatically deposited in the same offshore account.

Based on how afraid Beauty looked with the woman she called Madame and how desperate she was to get away from me, I would say she”s not there of her own free will. Which is a massive problem for me. I don”t care if a woman chooses to become a prostitute. That”s their prerogative. I do care when people force innocents into the life. I abhor sex trafficking and have made it my life”s mission to destroy as many operations as I can.

After two hours of waiting, I hear the lock disengage and the steady beeping of the alarm panel. I smirk when I hear him shut and lock the door before resetting the alarm. It amuses me that he thinks a little security system and lock will keep him safe. Considering who his daddy is, I”m guessing he doesn”t think anyone would have the balls to come after him.

That”s where he”s wrong. I give zero fucks that his daddy is a hotshot attorney. Kevin Mallory might be able to get his son out of legal trouble and push rape allegations and DUIs under the rug, but there”s nothing he can do to make me disappear. No, I”m the justice for the women he”s hurt over the years and the young boy he killed while driving drunk. Consider me his judge, jury, and executioner. He would”ve paid for hurting Beauty, but a little digging into his past sealed his fate.

He won”t be walking away with a simple punishment. I was going to stop at breaking every bone in his hands for hurting her. Now? Now, I will start with his hands and not stop until he”s begging for a mercy that I won”t give him. Todd Mallory will die today. Slowly and painfully. He”s going to become a missing person that only his daddy will miss.

Heavy footsteps head in my direction, and then he flicks the light on, illuminating the room I”ve been waiting in. The idiot is staring at his phone, not a care in the world. He hasn”t noticed Death sitting in his living room, twirling his favorite knife in his hand… waiting.

Todd picks up the remote and turns the TV on to some sports channel. He goes and gets a beer from the fridge; the whole time, he barely looks up from his phone. Idiot. He finally looks up and sees me when he reenters the living room.

”What the fuck are you doing here?” He sounds angry. Brave even. Except I can see the way his hands tremble and the way his pulse is racing in his very sliceable neck. He”s scared, and I love it.

”Do you remember me, Todd?” I ask with a disconcerting smile.

He swallows thickly and nods.

”Good. I like that you didn”t forget me. I”m a memorable kind of guy, and it hurts my feelings when people forget me.” I stand from the chair and step towards him. ”Do you know why I”m here?”

He shakes his head. ”Look, man, I don”t want any trouble.”

I laugh darkly. ”Sometimes we just don”t get what we want.”

”What do you want?” he asks, swallowing thickly.

”We”re going to have a nice little conversation.”

”What do you want to know?”

”I want you to tell me about the girl you were beating half to death.”

”This is about that whore?” he laughs. ”She”s nothing. Just some bitch paid to take whatever she”s given.”

I cross the distance between us in a flash, grabbing him by his throat. ”I suggest you show a little fucking respect. Tell me who is pimping her out. How you contact them. Everything.”

His eyes widen, and he”s finally properly worried about his current situation. ”Look, I don”t want any trouble. She”s just a club whore. Anyone can buy time with her. You just go to the bar and ask about the specials.”

”Okay,” I say, releasing his throat and lightly patting his cheek.

”Is that it? That”s all you want?”

My lips tip upwards.

”Not even a little,” I say before punching him hard enough that his eyes roll into the back of his head. He hits the ground, unconscious.

Time to take this conversation somewhere a little more private.

I”ve just finished tying Todd up nice and tight to the metal chair in what I like to consider my interrogation room. Sounds all professional to call it that instead of calling it what it is… a torture chamber. The room is in the basement of a warehouse I own through a dummy corporation. It”s got two pieces of furniture: the chair Todd is currently occupying and a table where all my favorite tools are kept. The drain in the floor below the chair makes clean-up easy.

Poor Todd is still out cold. Who knew a man his size couldn”t take a little love tap on the head. I”m doing a quick inventory of my tools when my phone rings. A genuine smile tugs at my lips when I see who”s calling.

”Hello, Hurricane,” I greet.

”Ugh! Kisten, will you ever let me live that down?” Rose complains, but I can hear the smile in her voice.

”Never. You”ll always be my tiny hurricane.”

She sighs. ”Destroy one little apartment, and it follows you for life!”

I chuckle even though the memory pisses me off. Rose destroyed my best friend Matthew”s apartment after Nelson Grant found her and tried to destroy the new life she was building. Nelson was Rose and Matthew”s foster father and a piece of shit. When Matthew aged out of the system, Nelson and his wife took off with their foster kids and disappeared. Rose spent years in their brothel being raped and tortured.

Matthew never gave up on finding her, even after ten years. He named his BDSM club after her, and in some fucked-up twist of fate, a long-time member brought Rose into Black Rose. He was caning her in a public scene not unlike the one Beauty was forced into when Matthew intervened. That is how Damon Savada got on our radar. He was partnered up with Nelson Grant to expand his fucked-up business from brothel to human trafficking.

You”d probably be shocked to know how Nelson met his demise. I”d love to tell you that it was right here in my favorite room after hours of torture, but that didn”t happen. He came for Rose, and being the untamed hurricane she is, she beat him to death with a statue. In the end, she didn”t need us to protect her. She protected herself.

I push thoughts of the past away before I”m overcome with rage. I”m glad I have Todd to work my anger out on today. It”ll be way more satisfying than a fight. Beating the shit out of a handful of other fighters doesn”t have the same kind of satisfaction it once did. It started as a way to make money and get off the streets, then it was a way to relieve the pent-up anger that”s constantly boiling under my skin; now, it barely soothes the angry monster that burns in my chest. The only thing that quiets the beast inside me is taking care of pieces of shit like Todd Mallory.

Except her, my traitorous mind whispers. I didn”t realize it then, but the constant itch to destroy the world wasn”t there while my Beauty was in my arms. Yes, I wanted to kill Todd, but it was a focused anger instead of the overwhelming rage that is always just under my skin.

”What”s up, hurricane? Do I need to come kick Matthew”s ass?” I ask.

She giggles. ”Not this time. I”m inviting you to Iris”s birthday party. Well, the invite is a nice way for me to say that you”re coming to Iris”s birthday party.”

I chuckle. ”How is Princess Iris?”

”She misses her Uncle Kisten.”

I sigh. I”ve been avoiding Matthew and Rose”s place for a while now. Every time I go, I feel something dark and ugly deep in my gut. Something worse than the anger that”s my constant companion. It”s jealousy. I never thought about settling down, but watching Matthew with Rose and their daughter flipped a switch I didn”t know was there. It”s easier to ignore that I”m jealous of the man I consider my brother and his family than face them. I feel like shit that I”ve stayed away for so long.

”When”s the party?”

”Two weeks from Saturday. Slade and Hannah are flying in with Remington. Even Luca and Summer are coming.”

”I”ll be there. What does the princess want for her birthday?”

Rose laughs. ”Like I would make it easy on you? No way. You get to pick something you think she would like. Gifts should be from the heart, not a list.”

”Evil woman,” I grumble.

She tsks. ”You know you love me.”

”As much as I love bamboo shoots shoved under my toenails.”

”So dramatic. See you next weekend!” she says brightly before disconnecting the call.

A few seconds later, my phone chimes with a new text message. I open it and find a picture of an invitation to Iris”s party with a calendar invitation to add the event to my calendar with a reminder alert. I chuckle at Rose”s persistence. I click the link and add the event to my calendar. I”ve just put my phone in my pocket when I hear my friend groan.

Finally, now I can have some fun.

It takes another ten minutes for Todd to come around. Watching them come awake and figure out they can”t move always amuses me. You can see the moment they realize they are completely fucked, and it”s such a sweet, sweet moment. Todd does the same thing they all do, struggle. He fruitlessly pulls at the ropes on his arms and legs until he”s panting.

”I”m so glad you”re finally conscious. I was getting bored waiting,” I say, drawing Todd”s frantic eyes to where I”m standing.

”Why am I here? I told you what I know!”

”You”re here because I want you to be. You”ll have to forgive me if I don”t trust that you told me everything. But you will,” I say with a feral grin.

”Let me go! Do you have any idea who my father is?!”

I laugh. ”I know who dear old dad is, and I”m not worried about him.”

”You should be! He has connections…”

”You should save your breath for your confession because unless your dad”s connection is the Devil himself, nothing is going to save you.”

I pick up a pair of scissors and slowly walk towards Todd. His eyes are wide and fearful as he takes in the scissors I”m holding. I open and close them menacingly close to his face, making him flinch and me laugh.

”W-what are you going to do?”

”Don”t worry. This won”t hurt a bit,” I say.

I cut his shirt off, leaving it in tatters on the floor. He”s breathing heavily when I stand back to observe my newly exposed canvas. His skin is pale and free of tattoos. It”ll mark up beautifully under my blade. I put the scissors down and grab the pliers. I hold them up for him to see.

“Now, this… this is going to hurt…”

Todd screams when I snap the bones in his pinkie finger. I make sure the damage is so extensive that if he were to survive beyond tonight, there is no way they could be repaired. I don”t stop until all five fingers are crippled on his left hand. He”s sobbing and begging me to stop. I stick the pliers in my back pocket and lean against the wall to wait for Todd to stop wailing like a little bitch. It takes a long time for him to calm down enough for me to question.

”Who is selling the girls at Mecca?”

His eyes flash with fear at my question. Odd, because he already volunteered information about how to buy a night with one of the club girls. I raise my brow and tilt my head as I consider what I”ve learned already.

Mecca is being used to launder money. Significant sums of money. I assumed it was from the prostitution ring they are running in the club, but what if it”s more? What if the prostitution ring is only one part of the business?

”Tell me who”s selling girls.”

”I-I don”t know…”

”Wrong answer.”

I crush the fingers of his right hand slowly. This time, he passes out from the pain. Jesus, does anyone have a decent pain threshold anymore? I turn on the hose and spray Todd with cold water until he sputters awake. I don”t have the patience to wait.

”Who. Is. Selling. Girls?”

”They”ll kill me!”

I laugh. ”You don”t have to worry about them killing you because that”s going to be my pleasure. Your only option is to decide how painfully you die. I can keep you down here for days cutting off little pieces, or you can tell me everything, and I”ll make it quick.”

I don”t clarify that it”s still going to be painful. But I consider a couple hours of pain quick in comparison to days.

”What”s it going to be?” I ask, picking up my favorite knife and twirling it in my hand.

”I-I don”t know his name. I”ve only talked to the woman… she goes by Madame.”

I tilt my head, watching his face for deception. Unfortunately for him, I know evasion when I see it. He”s still trying to hold back out of fear of another monster going bump in the night. Idiot.

I grip the handle of my knife and stab it into his thigh, nowhere near anything vital. I wouldn”t want him to bleed out. He lets out a blood-curdling scream that is music to my fucking ears.

”Try again. Madame isn”t the boss. She may be the face of the operation, but she”s not in charge.”

”R-Russian”s,” he stutters.

”Now we are getting somewhere. Give me a name.”

He shakes his head. ”I-I don”t know. I-I never met him.”

”How do you know he”s Russian?”

”H-heard him talking to a guard where they keep the girls. He wears a mask. That”s all I know, I swear!”

My blood is boiling at the knowledge that the Russians are involved. It makes a whole lot more sense why Damon Savada would be trying to weasel his way into Yuri”s good graces. I have been so distracted by hunting Savada that I haven”t paid enough attention to other operations. The Russians have always had brothels, but the women weren”t forced. They were taken care of and paid well.

When did they start trafficking women?

My jaw ticks from how hard I”m clenching my teeth. All I feel is rage and the desire for vengeance. Thankfully, I have Todd to take the edge off. I almost feel bad for the fucker. Almost. I rip the knife from his thigh with a twist and plunge it into his other thigh. Wrenching another scream from him.

”I want to know every-fucking-thing. Every interaction you”ve had at the club. The names of every woman you”ve touched. How you paid. Who you paid. I want to know if you took a fucking piss while you were there. Everything. If you hold out on me, this will get so much worse for you. I”m done playing nice.”

”T-this was n-nice?” he gasps.

”This is me treating you with kid gloves. I haven”t even begun to make it hurt yet.”

Todd starts shaking in fear, and the smell of piss fills the room. I soak up his fear like it”s sweet ambrosia and savor it. When I reach for the knife, he starts talking. I”m almost disappointed that he gave in so quickly. He”s still going to suffer. He deserves to after all the horrible things he”s done in his life.

”T-they do a-auctions…” he stutters.

I wrap my hand around his throat. ”What kind of auctions?”

”They sell the girls. The ones that they are done with.”

”When?” I growl, squeezing his throat until his eyes bulge.

”S-Saturday,” he gasps.

I release my hold and go to my table of tools. I study them while my mind whirls with this new information. I have one day to figure out how to infiltrate their inner circle and get into the auction. I hate that I won”t be able to stop it, but I need a plan before I show my cards. If I go in guns blazing, I might stop Saturday”s auction, but I won”t stop the whole operation. They will just set up elsewhere. With this kind of organization, the only way to stop them is to cut the head off the snake and burn the body.

I pick up a butane torch and flick it on, using the flame to heat my knife until it”s red hot. Todd watches with wide, fear-filled eyes. The monster inside me salivates at what I”m about to do. Todd cringes back into the chair but is unable to escape as the heated metal inches closer to his bare chest. I press the flat side of the blade to his side. His skin sizzles as he screams in pain.

I step back and hold the knife to the flame again. Todd is whimpering and begging for mercy. Breaking bones hurts. Stabbing hurts. Burns are on a whole other level of pain, and even after the hot metal is removed from the skin, the burning continues.

”I can get you in,” he grits.

I raise a brow and tilt my head, silently telling him to continue.

”I have an invitation…”

”I”m guessing they would notice if I showed up in your place.”

He shakes his head. ”Everyone wears masks. No real names. Even payments are anonymous.”

I chuckle at how foolish he is. There is no such thing as a completely anonymous payment if someone wants to find out bad enough. There are always people like me who know how to follow digital breadcrumbs. But with Todd”s invitation, a mask, no names, and his bank account… it could work.

”Is the auction at Mecca?”

He shakes his head. ”No… it”s not in the city.”

”Well, Todd, you”re proving to be quite helpful,” I say, flicking the butane torch off and setting it down. ”Tell me everything you know about the auction, and we can part ways quickly.”

”Y-you”ll let me go?” he asks, shocked.

I smile at his naivety, but my smile isn”t a reassuring one. ”Something like that. Now talk.”