Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Wade
The midday sun had everything glowing through the windows—the white sheets, Marie's skin, even Honey's fur where she was passed out on her new pink dog bed in the corner.
The Caribbean stretched an endless blue beyond the glass, and I had the perfect view from my bed where Marie sat tucked in my lap, my chin resting on her head while she scrolled through my laptop.
My laptop, which also held access to every single piece of my empire. Bank accounts, business dealings, confidential files that could destroy competitors or governments. I'd handed it to her without a second thought and told her to use it however she wanted.
Because I trusted my darling completely.
"This one," Marie decided, clicking on a custom pink kayak with hibiscus flowers on the sides. "I want this one."
"Then get it," I replied easily, my hand sliding up her side to cup her breast through the shirt she'd stolen from me. She wasn't wearing anything underneath, I’d made sure of that this morning, and her nipple hardened against my palm immediately.
"It's twelve hundred dollars, Wade." She said it as if that was supposed to mean something to me.
"And?" I squeezed gently, and she arched into my touch. "Darling, I need you to add at least five thousand dollars worth of things to these carts. If you don't meet that minimum, I'm going to be very upset with you."
She laughed and twisted slightly to look at me. "You're crazy.”
"I'm generous," I corrected, sliding my other hand down to squeeze her bottom. "And if you don't spend enough, I'll have to punish you. I’ll turn this pretty little ass pink as that kayak you're looking at.”
She shivered against me, and I smirked. "Would you like that, darling? Want daddy to spank you for not being a good girl and spending his money?"
"I'm spending it!" she protested, but she was smiling, adding the pink kayak to the cart with obvious delight.
"Not fast enough." I kept one hand on her breast, kneading lazily while she scrolled. "Keep going. Add everything you want, whatever catches your eye. Be greedy for me.”
She navigated to another site, a high-end water sports brand, and started clicking through options with increasing enthusiasm. A wetsuit in pink and white, snorkeling gear, an underwater camera. She was getting into it now, and I loved watching her enjoy this.
"You know what?" I said against her hair, my thumb stroking across her nipple. "If you reach ten thousand dollars, I'll let you paint my bedroom walls pink."
She went still, then twisted to stare at me. "You're lying."
“Never.” I met her gaze steadily, squeezing her breast for emphasis. "Ten thousand, and you can pick whatever shade you want. Paint the whole estate if it makes you happy."
Competition sparked in her eyes, that fire I loved, that determination that kept her surviving when most people would have broken. "Really?"
"Really." I kissed her hair. "But you have to earn it, darling. You can't just buy cheap things to reach the number. They have to be things you actually want."
"Challenge accepted," she declared, turning back to the laptop with determination.
There she was. My fierce girl who’d survived hell.
She started adding things with purpose now. Each addition was chosen because she actually wanted it, and I could see the running total climbing in her head.
I kept my hands on her, sliding up to her breasts, down to her thighs, keeping her aware of my presence while she shopped. This was domestic and intimate, exactly what I'd been craving. Marie in my lap, wearing my shirt, spending my money on things that made her happy.
"Seven thousand," she announced proudly. "Three more and your walls are mine."
"Our walls," I corrected, kissing her neck. "This is your bedroom too, darling."
She hummed contentment, leaning back against my chest, and I wrapped both arms around her waist. She kept scrolling, adding things, approaching the ten thousand mark with single-minded determination.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I glanced over, seeing Thomas's name. My jaw tightened—Thomas knew better than to interrupt unless it was urgent.
"Keep shopping, darling," I instructed, kissing her hair before reaching for the phone. I kept Marie where she was in my lap, warm and soft, and pressed the phone to my ear. "Speak."
Not "speak freely." The signal that Marie was present.
I brought my thumb to her lips and pressed until she opened for me, taking it into her mouth without hesitation. She suckled quietly while I handled business, understanding that she still had every bit of my attention even with the phone at my ear.
"Sir." Thomas's voice was controlled but tight. "The minister's here unannounced. He's in the far building, and he's agitated."
My body went still. Minister Moreau, who I’d come to an agreement with showing up unannounced, meant something had shifted.
"How agitated?" I kept my voice level.
“He has questions," Thomas answered carefully. "About recent activities."
It was likely about The Orion, or the eliminations. Either way, this was a problem that required personal handling.
I looked down at Marie, still suckling my thumb, still scrolling through kayak accessories, and found it unimaginably hard to leave her.
"Ten minutes," I told Thomas quietly. “Make him uncomfortable."
I ended the call and pulled my thumb from Marie's mouth, turning her face toward mine with both hands. Those dark eyes looked at me with trust and curiosity.
"I need to handle something, darling," I explained, keeping my voice warm despite the ice forming underneath. "Business that can't wait. But you stay right here, keep shopping, and I'll be back before you know it."
“Is everything okay?" She read my face too well already.
"It will be." I kissed her deeply, possessively. “I just need to remind someone who's in charge. You keep working on making that ten thousand, and when I get back, we'll celebrate properly."
She smiled, trusting me to be the competent man I was, and turned back to the laptop while I extracted myself from the bed.
Whatever the minister thought he knew, whatever power he thought his title gave him, he was about to learn a very important lesson.
I pulled on a black coat over my half-buttoned shirt and returned to the nightstand. I pressed my thumb against the drawer face and heard the quiet click of the lock releasing.
Inside was my black gun, loaded, maintained, ready. I pulled it out and slid it into my waistband at the small of my back, where the coat would hide it completely.
When I turned back, Marie was watching Honey climb onto the bed and claim the warm spot I'd left on the sheets. The dog circled twice before collapsing with a contented sigh, and Marie laughed softly at the sight.
I crossed back to her, caught her face in my hands, and kissed her deeply. "Be good while I'm gone, darling. And keep spending."
"I will," she promised against my lips, and I forced myself to let go and walk away.
Thomas was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with my keys. "The Rolls is ready, sir. Minister Moreau is being held at the far building as per security protocol."
"Good." I took the keys, then paused. "He was searched?"
"Thoroughly. No weapons. His security detail was required to wait outside the gates."
"Excellent." I headed for the garage where the Rolls-Royce was waiting, black and the kind of statement vehicle this conversation required. “Get rid of them while I’m there.”
The drive to the secondary building took less than five minutes. It sat at the entrance to my estate grounds, a smaller structure I used for meetings I didn't want happening in my actual home.
It was gated separately, staffed with security, and far enough from the main house that Marie would never accidentally encounter anyone I met there.
I parked and walked inside, finding Minister Moreau standing by the windows overlooking the grounds. He turned when I entered, and I immediately read his body language.
He was tense, controlled, but not overtly aggressive. He knew better than to come at me directly, knowing exactly how much power the Easton name carried compared to his ministerial position.
But he was unhappy. That much was clear in every line of his posture.
"Minister," I greeted smoothly, not offering my hand. "This is unexpected. I don't recall scheduling a meeting."
"No." His voice was clipped. "This couldn't wait for scheduled pleasantries, Mr. Easton."
I moved to the bar and poured myself a scotch I didn't want, taking my time before turning back to him. "Then please, enlighten me. What brings a minister to my estate unannounced?"
He studied me for a moment. "I'm curious about your activities lately. The evening after our meeting, to be precise, in the inland area where we conducted business."
I kept my expression perfectly neutral and took a sip of scotch. "I conducted our agreed-upon business, Minister. Then I returned home. Why?"
"Did you?" His eyes were sharp. "Because there's been some... disruption in that area. Facilities that were operational have gone dark, and people who were reliably present have disappeared."
I raised an eyebrow, feigning mild confusion. "And you're asking me about this because?"
"Because you were there that evening." His voice took on an edge. "Because you have resources, and because things in my territory don't typically collapse without significant external pressure."
I set my glass down, my mind working through implications. He was specifically asking about that evening, the inland area, and the facilities going dark.
He had to know about The Sanctuary, given his hints. And if he was this concerned about its disruption, that meant one thing.
My stomach turned cold with disgust.
He had stakes in it. Whether it was financial interest, political protection, or something else that made nineteen enslaved women profitable enough for him to care about their facility being destroyed.