31. Killian
Even from the front steps with the door closed, the noise poured into the night. With an encouraging squeeze to Millie’s dainty fingers, I shoved the solid wood open and guided her into the evil lion’s den. Couples and groups mingled in the foyer and along the hall, spilling into various open doorways. Familiar faces smiled our way as we weaved through the crowd. Almost to the study, a server appeared at my side, two full champagne flutes resting on top. I took one and motioned for him to leave before Millie could grab the other, keeping up the charade of her character.
“None for you, wife,” I said in a low voice as I hitched my chin, acknowledging the fucker in the corner eyeing Millie like she was a piece of meat.
“I love that title,” she whispered back. “Fake or not.”
“Soon, it won’t be, my Millie. Soon.” Securing my arrogant mask, I scanned the study as we walked inside the less crowded room. Simon lounged in the deep leather club chair in front of the gas fireplace, highball glass in one hand while the other lazily stroked up and down the lean thigh of the woman sitting on the armrest beside him.
My eyelid twitched, but I forced a cocky smirk and hitched my chin his way, fake approving of the scene. If people wanted to swing, switch partners, or have multiples in a solid unit, that was their prerogative. We had Jameson on our team, who lived with the medical examiner and a former Santa Coasta detective. The three were together and on their way to having a litter of kids. I was happy for them and didn’t care what society thought about their unique relationship, just that they made each other happy, but that wasn’t what this was in front of me.
These women were coerced by their husbands to participate to keep their spot on the leadership team. The few moving around the room tipped glass after glass of champagne back as if desperate to feel the effects of the alcohol. Though some, like Georgiana, were predators just like their husbands. The sooner we shut this place down and exposed the twisted and fucked-up brainwashing, the better. Lives would be ruined, sure; Hunter was right about that. But leaving them in this false reality wasn’t an option either.
“You must be Kurt.” A tall, burly man I hadn’t met yet paused in front of us. “And the wife.” Dark eyes swept a predatory look up and down her small frame. My nostrils flared, the only outward sign of the burning rage rolling through my veins.
She was mine.
Only mine.
“That’s me, and you are?” He introduced himself as he continued to stare at Millie like she was on the dinner menu.
“What’s the deal with tonight?”
The bastard’s dark beard shifted as he smirked. “Our only direction was to have fun, all together.” Reaching out, he ran a single finger down Millie’s bicep. I glared at the contact, debating the repercussions of snapping his finger off and feeding it to him, forcefully. “We can all enjoy the benefits of Pastor’s engagement.”
“I need to pee,” Millie blurted. A few heads turned our way at the unusual and panicked outburst. Crimson bloomed along her cheeks before she ducked her head, hiding the evidence of her embarrassment. If we weren’t in a room full of predators, I’d chuckle at how damn cute she was. But we were, and I needed to take the out Millie gave us before I maimed and killed the bastard.
“I told you to go before we left the house,” I fake chastised as I led her from the room with a firm grip on her elbow. Back out in the buzzing foyer, I guided her toward the powder bath I used that first night we were here. The mahogany door slammed shut behind us, my hold immediately dropping now that we were out of the spotlight. “Fucking fuck.”
Both sweaty palms pressed to the white marble vanity. Dropping my head forward, I focused on inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth until my entire body didn’t tremble with anger. I tensed out of habit at the sudden pressure against my lower back, only for it to immediately ease. This was Millie, my Millie, not one of the random women out there. I swear their eye fucking could get someone pregnant with the way they followed me around the room.
“Sorry, I just…” I inhaled deeply. “Needed a second. I don’t like when someone touches you.”
“It’s okay, Kill.” My heart hammered in my chest. We were so close. Only a few more hours of pretending to be this arrogant fuckstick, of her having to put up with the assholes desperate for a taste of what was mine. “Take all the time you need.”
Knowing what would cure the jealousy and anger, I whirled around and engulfed her smaller frame in a desperate hug. Lean arms snaked around my waist and squeezed, holding me even tighter than I was to her. Which said a lot, since I was clinging to her like the lifeline she was to me.
“We can do this,” she whispered. “Only a few more hours and we’re done. We’ll take her somewhere safe where they can’t hurt her.”
We had to see this through; find the girl and get her free. The FBI had more damn red tape than Santa’s workshop, so who knew when they would actually coordinate a raid on the compound and the police chief’s house to gather the remaining files. Hell, I’d be shocked if they made a move before summer. With Karigan’s birthday approaching and no firm date on the raid, that meant we were having some kidnapping fun tonight.
“I’m good.” Leaning down, I placed a kiss on top of her head. “Thank fuck Simon and Gary Paul said we could only watch and not participate until we were official members of the leadership team. We can put up with all this shit until everyone is good and drunk. With the way they are tossing back their drinks, I’d bet we only have a couple of hours before we can sneak away to find where they have Karigan locked away.”
While we mixed and mingled, I needed to subtly feel out where the main bedrooms were in this damn mansion. A shiver of revulsion slid through me thinking about all the unwanted touches I would need to put up with to get that information, but it was worth it.
Saving Karigan meant a lot to Millie.
And that was all I needed to know.
Well, that and it was kind of my job.
So, yeah, off to be sexually harassed, all for the sake of saving a young girl.
Yay.