Julian
Vera
“Ilove you, Scotty,” I whispered against his ear in bed. “I belong to you, and you belong to me.”
“Care to prove it again?” Alistair teased, guiding my hand over his thick arousal.
“I thought I already did that last night,” I murmured, sliding my hand away to rub where I still ached—my sore ass cheeks.
“Do you need more salve?” he asked, reaching for the ointment on his bedside table.
“Mmm, that would be nice,” I hummed, rolling on my stomach in invitation.
I felt the soothing sensation of the salve as it was rubbed on my cheeks. Alistair’s nimble fingers massaged some of it on my swollen labia, sore from our rough lovemaking. I glanced at the leather whip and the silk scarf on the floor, then rubbed my wrists and smiled.
“Shall I make coffee for you, sweetheart?” His green eyes radiated tender passion.
“Yes. Before you get up, I’d like a kiss.”
“Of course,” he said, nuzzling into me. His tantalizing kisses teased my mouth, neck, shoulders, and back.
About an hour later, after finishing my second cup of coffee with a dash of Irish cream, I swam naked in our private pool while he was on a call with a business associate.
There was no need to hide my skin from my lover.
With him, there was no need to hide. He gave me the same—his body, his soul laid bare.
All except one thing.
The secret etched into the scar on his back.
After my morning swim, I towel-dried and let my gaze linger on the skyline glittering above the Arabian Gulf. For a fleeting moment, life looked picture-perfect. Then came the twist—sharp, cruel—another knife to the heart, the kind of blade that left a wound no beauty could disguise.
A touch on my shoulder pulled me around. Alistair stood there, lips pressed thin, brows furrowed with concern. He held out my phone.
“It’s Sapphire,” he said. “We spoke briefly. You need to take this call. It’s about Julian.”
“Saph, slow down,” I said, trying to make sense of her words in between her sobs.
“Vee, something ha-happened to Ju-Julian.”
“Hold on, what? Weren’t you celebrating his birthday tonight?” I placed one hand on my stomach, which twisted with anxiety. Feeling my knees bend and lose their strength, I sat down.
“He went to his ex-girlfriend Jessie’s apartment earlier because she pulled out the suicide card. He said his visit wouldn’t take long, and he’d be at the restaurant in time for dinner. He never turned up.”
“Shit.” I shut my eyes and sighed. Julian’s ex-girlfriend was a nutcase, and he was an empathetic guy who didn’t ignore cries for help. I wondered if Jessie was crying wolf.
“A video was sent to me later on,” Saph said.
“What video?” My breathing tightened.
“I just sent it. I’ve got my boss’s senior advisor, Raphael Thomas, here with me. Remember, I dated him before Julian and I got back together? Well, Raph admitted Saira planned the whole damn thing. She’s out to hurt Julian.”
“How the fuck does he know?” I shouted. My pulse spiked. Of all people, I never trusted Raphael. We studied law in the same class, and he was slippery as an oil spill. He somehow wormed his way into Senator McGrath’s circle, handling most of the senator’s political affairs.
“Raphael admitted he was part of the charade. Saira bought him off with her money, cleared his college debts, and turned him into one of her whores. He turned up at the restaurant because she sent him to seduce me.”
“No.” I gasped for air. “I’ve got the video. I’ll watch it and call you back. Stay strong. We’ll find Julian and get him home.
“Okay. I think he’s still at Jessie’s. Raphael knows her place. He’s the one taking me.”
“Sure, but don’t go alone with him. I’ll talk to Alistair, and we’ll make sure you’ve got someone to protect you, okay? I’ll call you back.”
My hands trembled as I opened the video file.
Alistair’s arm closed around me when I squeezed my eyes shut against the images on the screen of filth I couldn’t unsee.
Julian’s face wasn’t visible, but his hands were.
Too still. Too loose. Almost lifeless. My chest tightened.
I knew those hands—the faint scar on his left knuckle from a brutal fight we’d had as kids.
Another man loomed behind Jessie while she used her hands and mouth on my brother’s genitals. The sight twisted my stomach. This wasn’t desire. This wasn’t choice.
Julian would never betray Sapphire. This was forced.
“Did you see that? The man in the background?”
“Sure did. This damage has to be Saira’s work,” Alistair said.
I glared at him. “That clip. Jessie sexually assaulted my brother. He couldn’t be conscious.”
“This has Saira all over it,” Alistair muttered, rubbing his forehead before shutting his eyes. “She’s using Jessie to do her dirty work. Payback for Julian rejecting her.”
“The man,” I pondered. “Is he the same guy who was with Holly when she drugged and kidnapped me?”
“No,” Alistair replied.
“How do you know?”
“The man who abducted you is dead.”
“Scotty?” I asked, raising one eyebrow. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“I’m responsible for his death. I’m also close to finding Holly,” he answered. His eyes burned with a fire that looked forged in hell itself.
“Are you pulling strings with Angelo, your mafia connection?” I asked, confusion knotting in my chest.
“I’ll explain later. Right now, we need to focus on your brother. I’ll call a friend in the police department to help Sapphire find Julian.”
The next few minutes blurred into a scramble of phone calls… first with the police, then with Saph.
“Hey, Saph. Head straight to Jessie’s apartment. Alistair’s arranged for a cop to meet you and Raphael outside Jessie’s apartment. Her name is Constance Fraser. She’s on the way there now.”
“How does she know where the apartment is?”
“It’s dead simple. Jessie Caruso’s address was listed in the online phone catalog.”
“Thanks so much, Vee.”
“Go now. I pray you’ll find Julian in one piece,” I said before hanging up.
I wept in Alistair’s arms that day. The only other time I’d broken down like that was when Saph and Julian dragged me out of Ace’s grip, saving me from his violence.
Now I was here, clinging to a man who was far from perfect, carrying his own catalog of sins.
Yet, he’d do whatever it took to protect my family. Alistair would help my brother.
“Vera, we’ll get through this. Do you hear me?” His voice wrapped around me as I sobbed, clinging to him.
“I need you.”
“You have me,” he said, kissing my forehead. “I’ve booked a flight out of Dubai first thing in the morning. We’re going back to Lester Harbor to fix this mess. I’m here.”
I nodded, blowing my nose into a tissue he’d given me. My eyes were blood-red, and I shook like a leaf hanging onto its stem in a storm. That stem was my inner strength, supported by Alistair’s love. We would get through this mess.
Alistair sat close beside me on the velvet sofa in the first-class airport lounge, his arm a wall of strength around my shoulders as I pressed my face into his shirt, letting the tears come.
He smelled like expensive cologne and home.
He didn’t say a word—just kept his grip steady, anchoring me, his thumb tracing gentle circles over my arm.
We’d already heard from Constable Fraser. She’d called earlier to confirm she was with Sapphire and Raphael, and that they had found Julian. It should have been a relief, but my nerves were shredded.
“I hope my brother is being cared for. I worry so much about him.” My voice broke as I clung to Alistair, trying to breathe through the ache.
He squeezed my hand, his comforting eyes steady on mine. “Julian was drugged, but he’s safe now. The doctors at Saint John’s looked after him, and the medical report’s already with the police.”
“Thank God.” I wiped the tears from my eyes. “What happened to Jessie and the man?”
Alistair pulled me closer, kissing my forehead. “The man left the apartment before Sapphire and the officers arrived. They’re tracking him now. Jessie was arrested and charged with sexual assault. She’s too scared to admit Saira’s behind it.”
Anger spiked in my chest. “I know it’s the she-devil. She sent Raphael to toy with my best friend while my brother was sedated and sexually assaulted.”
Alistair’s jaw tightened, his grip fierce as he anchored me. “Anyone who hurts you or your family answers to me. I’ll see to it.”
Alistair
Lester Harbor, a few days later
“How is Julian?” I asked, watching Vera remove her shoes in our apartment foyer. She returned from visiting Julian and Sapphire at their home.
“Physically, he’s recovering,” she said, glancing up at me. “Mentally and emotionally, it’s hard to tell because Jules keeps to himself. He said he’s getting professional help. Any word from the police about Saira?”
“I’ve talked to a few friends on the matter,” I answered. “Julian’s written statement confessing everything he knows about Saira’s activities should be sufficient for a judge to issue a warrant to search her home.”
“Julian doesn’t want any more trouble, Scotty.”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m your family, aren’t I?”
“You are,” Vera affirmed, tilting her head as her hands touched my hips. “I like that.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Saira away from your brother. She may be Damian’s mother, but she’s a rabid dog.” I lowered my voice as my fingers slipped to her collar, easing open the top three buttons. The fabric gave way, teasing me with a glimpse of her cleavage.
“Scotty, the man who helped Jessie... You mentioned he wasn’t the same person who…”
“No,” I groaned, looking up at the ceiling. I hoped to avoid the conversation.
“Tell me,” Vera demanded. “I won’t judge you. I love you.”
“I hired someone to find the people who hurt you. He and his team tracked down the man who helped Holly abduct you.”
Vera’s dark eyes searched mine. “You said you were responsible for his death. Did you ask them to kill him?”
“No,” I answered. “I wanted them to push him for answers, but he shut his mouth.”
“So, they killed him?”
I nodded.
“What kind of people did you hire?” she ran her hands through her hair.
“People you don’t fuck with,” I muttered. “What I went through when I was young taught me that mercy has no place with the wicked.”
“Will you tell me what happened to you? About your scar?” she asked.
I bowed my head, let out a slow sigh, then met her eyes. She deserved the truth. “You’ll need a strong stomach for this. Are you ready?”
Vera nodded, clasping my hands in hers. “I need to know the truth about you.”
I tightened my grip, drew in a breath, and lifted my shoulders. “All right. I’ll tell you what made me the man I am today.”