Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Ariana
The comforting scent of eucalyptus filled the bathroom as I sat in the tub with my legs wrapped around Henry, his back to my front. I dipped the washcloth into the warm water overflowing with bubbles and dragged it down his back, soothing his obviously aching body.
“I was wrong,” he murmured, melting into my touch.
“About what?”
“This is definitely better than a sponge bath.”
“I’m glad you think so.” I pressed a soft kiss to his shoulder blade as I continued running the washcloth along his torso, mindful of the bruises dotting his abdomen that were even more stark against his flesh this morning. “How are you feeling? And don’t say you’ve experienced worse.”
He released a small laugh. This time, he didn’t grimace from the pain. “I’m feeling better.” He took my hand and brought my wrist up to his mouth, brushing his lips against the skin. “Your touch heals all wounds.”
“For a guy who seemed so cold and aloof when we first met, you can be incredibly romantic.”
He pulled my arms tighter around him. “I guess I was just waiting for the right woman.”
“There you go again. Making it impossible for me to stay mad at you for being a reckless idiot last night.”
“I thought being a reckless idiot was one of my more admirable qualities.”
“That it is.”
I ran my hand up and down his torso, trying to savor this moment as much as possible. But I still couldn’t stop my mind from spinning about everything he’d shared last night. How he confirmed that Victor sold Sarah.
How he’d planned to sell me, too.
“So what’s next?” I asked finally, attempting to steady my voice, despite the unsettled feeling forming in my stomach.
“What do you mean?”
“I know you, Henry. You’re probably already formulating what your next course of action will be. So what is it?”
“If I’m being honest, I wasn’t thinking about that.”
“You weren’t?”
“No. My focus has been how I can convince you to move your hands a little lower and give my cock some attention.”
I splashed water at him. “You’re horrible.”
“But you love me.”
“Yes, I do.”
Another silence settled in the room, this one heavier than before.
“It all goes back to Victor,” Henry announced after a few moments.
“What’s that?”
“My next step. It’s Victor.”
“But Victor’s dead.”
It still felt surreal to say it out loud. He’d been dead for a few weeks now, but the reality of it still hadn’t sunk in. Until we knew where Sarah was, I doubted I’d feel any solace or relief from his death.
“We’re the only ones who know that,” he reminded me. “The world still thinks he’s alive. More importantly, his buyer still thinks he’s alive. We find his buyer. We find Sarah. Hopefully.”
“And how do we do that when we don’t know who this person is?”
“I went through Victor’s pockets when I…
disposed of him. I found a cell phone. Based on the lack of anything of a personal nature, I’m guessing it’s a burner.
But it did have the same secure app that was on that Bratva soldier’s burner.
I may not find much, since that app can be programmed to automatically delete messages after a certain period of time, but it’s better than nothing. ”
“And if you make contact? What then?”
He was silent for a moment, and I could feel the wheels turning in his head. “We plant a Trojan horse.”
“A Trojan horse?”
“This guy seems careful. Like he doesn’t want anyone to know who he is or where he’s taking the women he buys. It’s why he wants them left in a remote location with instructions to drop them and leave.”
“If he’s that paranoid, I doubt he’d go to the drop location if he felt something was off… Like you being there instead. That’s a dead giveaway something’s not right.”
“I won’t be there. One of my employees has done some undercover work for me like this before. I’ll send her in. Give her a full background similar to the women Victor typically targeted in the hopes he forgets about wanting you.”
I stared straight ahead, considering his plan. It wasn’t horrible. But it wasn’t foolproof either. There was no guarantee this guy would agree to buy this other woman.
But there was one woman I knew he wanted.
“Or you can use me instead.”
Henry shifted around in the tub, his eyes finding mine so I could see the determination within. “Absolutely not, Ariana. My employee is trained in this sort of thing. She knows what to do. How to act. How to protect herself.”
“You said it yourself. Your entire plan rests on this guy agreeing to purchase some other woman instead of me. We don’t know for sure he will.
” I paused. “But we know he wants me. Remember what Victor said. I was chosen, whatever that means. If you want to find him, if you want to find Sarah, I’m your best bet. ”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not using you as…as…as bait.”
“You agreed to use me as bait to draw Victor out of hiding.”
“That was before. When we thought he was the one after you. He was a known quantity. But this? We have no idea what we’re going up against. I just…” He brought his hands to my cheeks, clutching my face with a fierce grip. “Don’t ask me to do that again. Don’t ask me to risk losing you.”
“Think of all those women,” I countered. “Think of Sarah. She could still be alive. And if you want to help her, you need to use the one asset you have. Me. This guy wants me. You have me. I’m your Trojan horse.”
He shook his head. “I don’t like it.”
“I don’t like it either. Believe me. I’d much rather live the rest of my life in peace. But if this is what it takes to make sure he can’t ever hurt another person, then I need to do this.”
He raked his gaze over my face, studying each of my features. From my eyes. To my nose. To my lips. As if imprinting them all to memory.
“You are so damn stubborn.”
“No more stubborn than you,” I reminded him.
“True.” He sighed, resting his forehead against mine. “But you’re also so damn brave.” He pulled back, his eyes locking with mine. “A fucking warrior, Ariana.”
“Then let me be a warrior. Let me do this.”
He didn’t immediately say anything. Just stared at me. I could physically see the turmoil in his expression. The ever-present need to protect everyone he loved and keep them free from harm.
The guilt he still battled to this day for failing his brother. His mother.
Sarah.
I knew I was asking a lot of him.
But I also knew this was something I needed to do. Knew I’d never be able to live with myself if I sat by and didn’t try to help.
Finally, he released a long exhale filled with frustration and resignation. I half expected for him to insist on his original plan.
Then he gave a small nod, as if physically fighting himself.
It wasn’t an overwhelming acceptance.
But for now, I’d take it.