Текст книги "Seduced in the Dark"

Автор книги: C. J. Roberts

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 26 страниц)

“Fuck!” the boy yelled. He tried to pull out of Celia’s grasp, but she held him easily in her tight little fist. Caleb was impressed.

“Does it hurt, Slave?” She crooned. Laughter could be heard in the room.

The boy was silent. Behind his back his fists clenched and his arms strained against the restraints he wore. Celia pulled harder, wrenching his head back in such a way his throat was completely exposed. “Yes…Celia,” he finally whispered.

Slowly, the soft music that had been playing began to fade until the room was stark in its silence. It drew the moment into sharper focus, each sound lending itself to an action. The room itself seemed to become a living thing, breathing, vibrating, and hungry. Even Caleb was not immune to the charm of one petite girl mastering someone twice her size.

“Very good, Slave.” Felipe’s voice was scarcely above a whisper when he translated Celia’s words. Caleb did not require the translation, but he could appreciate the way Felipe’s voice, low, but full of authority, drew the others in as they strained to hear every word.

Celia released Kid’s hair and he audibly sighed in relief. She stroked the gold strands for a few seconds. Her audience sighed in approval as they listened to Kid’s ragged breaths.

Caleb had always marveled at the way a person’s inability to see lowered their inhibitions sharply. Surely, Kid would be humiliated to know the sounds he was making were being heard and interpreted by a room full of people who lived for such things. Caleb was almost embarrassed for him, or perhaps he was only uncomfortable watching.

Slowly, seductively, Celia caressed the boy’s face, his neck, and his shoulders. She let herself take the time to coax him into desiring her. Kid could probably smell her perfume; nearly feel her nipple make contact with his face as she stood in front of him, touching him like a lover in a room full of strangers. When Celia pulled a way, the boy nearly fell on his face chasing after the smell of her.

“She’s very good,” Rafiq suddenly whispered in a hushed tone. Caleb nodded in assent.

Celia quietly circled the room, finally coming upon a squat, round man, wearing a cowboy hat and a bolero tie. She inclined her body toward him, rubbing her pert nipples across his chest sinuously. The man chuckled and leaned forward in an attempt to kiss Celia, but at the last second, she reached for the flogger in the man’s hand and sharply turned on her heel, slapping the man in the face with her hair.

The room erupted in laughter. “Damn it, Felipe,” said the man in a thick Texas drawl, “You are a lucky bastard. Go on honey, you teach that boy a lesson.”

Celia smiled for the crowd and cheekily waved her flogger. “Put your face on the ground and lift your ass in the air,” she said.

Kid flinched and didn’t move to obey, even after Felipe translated. The crowd hissed in disapproval.

“No?” said Celia.

“Please,” Kid said, with a whimper. And it was most definitely, a whimper. “I’ve had enough. No more.”

Caleb shifted in his seat. He stroked Kitten’s hair again and abruptly she shifted to sit between Caleb’s knees, her head landed on his upper thigh and she pressed his hand to her ear.

“She’s quite bold, Caleb. I’m surprised you let her get away with things like that.” Rafiq quietly scolded.

“I told you Rafiq, she is not herself. Stop acting as though you’ve never been lenient. I’ve seen you train. Even you, have your moments.” With that, the subject was momentarily dropped.

“Enough? I’ve barely started,” simpered Celia. “And of course…,” she said as she raised the flogger. She waited a moment, letting her audience share in Kid’s anticipation, before she brought the flogger down across his chest, “You forgot to say, ‘please, Celia’.”

Kid groaned, biting hard on his lip as he attempted to rub his chest against his knees by doubling over.

Celia swished the flogger in the air and brought it back down across Kid’s back and this time his groan was loud and open-mouthed. “Will you obey me?”

“Yes, Celia,” the boy said through gritted teeth. The crowd applauded.

Caleb chuckled to himself. Yes, it was good to be surrounded by his peers. The debilitating guilt he had been feeling lately was practically non-existent. It had evaporated and was replaced with a more familiar sentiment: lust.

Kitten’s head, resting on his thigh was so close to his dick he could almost feel her breath on it. He was tempted to take it out and make her suck it. He had yet to demand that particular act from her, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist forever. He’d fucked her ass, why not her mouth?

“Prove it, Slave, and lift that sexy ass in the air,” Celia purred.

Caleb heard the catch in the boy’s throat as he struggled to lower his head to the floor. He teetered on his knees before he finally managed the head-down-ass-up position Celia demanded. The crowd murmured; their excitement palpable.

Celia dragged the long, leather strands across the bare expanse of Kid’s flesh. Naked and tightly bound, Kid had no control over what was about to happen to him. His breathing was quick and ragged and each breath moved his entire body. Celia gently flicked the tips of the flogger against Kid’s balls which could be seen by those standing or sitting behind him. He hissed, writhing against the carpet as much as he could.

“Do you like that, Slave?”

“No, Celia.”

Another tap, “That’s not nice. Shall I hit you harder? Like a man?” The audience was positively giddy over that idea.

“No! No, Celia. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Kid pleaded.

Celia raised the flogger and whipped the boy harder, until he lost all control and sobbed into the carpet. “How was that, Slave? Hard enough?”

Kid could hardly breathe, let alone speak, but he struggled to get the words out anyway, “Yes…Celia.”

Caleb didn’t believe he was gay, or even bisexual. It was a subject he spent time exploring after he left his life as a whore behind, but he had to admit Kid’s submission was compelling. Celia also, was impressive in her approach.

“You’re doing so well, Slave. Just a little more and I’ll reward you,” Celia crooned.

Caleb listened, as did everyone else in the room, to Kid’s sobs catching in his chest. What Caleb didn’t expect, was the answering sob coming from Kitten in his lap. “What’s wrong, Pet?” Caleb whispered. He traced the delicate shell of Kitten’s ear with his finger; she shivered.

“All of these people….” She trailed off.

The sound of the flogger slapping against naked flesh echoed through the room and was punctuated by Kid’s pained growl. Again and again the flogger fell against Kid’s increasingly warming skin. With each stroke, he lost more and more of his bearing, until at last his muscles stopped bracing for the blows and he ceased to temper the sounds pouring out of him.

Caleb should abhor the spectacle. Somewhere in his mind he knew that watching someone essentially getting whipped should disgust him, but nothing could be further from the truth. Whippings excited him in a way not much else could. His mind replayed the evening he had whipped Kitten. She had struggled, cursed at him, lashed out at him physically, but in the end she had come apart at his hands. He hadn’t worried about her feelings then and he felt he shouldn’t worry about her feelings now.

He leaned down and spoke to her, “You embarrassed me earlier. Should I strip you and return the favor in front of all these people?”

Kitten muffled a cry by pressing her mouth against his leg. She shook her head fervently, “No, Master,” she managed to say.

“I would certainly like to see that,” Rafiq interjected. “At the very least it would prove you haven’t gone completely soft.” Caleb spared a glance for his mentor and raised an eyebrow. “At least she’s addressing you properly.”

Caleb laughed, ignoring the way some of the other guests glared at him. He wasn’t interrupting Celia. She was much too focused to notice him, or anyone else that wasn’t the slave at her feet for that matter. “I would, but I know she isn’t ready. She’d only cause me more embarrassment.”

“Well then, perhaps you should allow me,” he said, in English.

Suddenly, uproar spread throughout the room and both Caleb and Rafiq craned their necks to see beyond the other guests blocking their view. Caleb gasped and unwittingly, his lengthening cock brushed against Kitten’s cheek.

Celia, the exotic little vixen, had stepped into a harness, and jutting out from her bare pussy, stood one of the largest dildo’s Caleb had ever seen. She let the crowd admire it, waiting for the noise to die down before she went any further.

Kid, still blindfolded, was rigid with apprehension. He was trying, unsuccessfully, to ball himself up tighter; as if he could crawl so deep inside himself he would disappear. All he succeeded in doing was building the collective lust of his voyeuristic audience.

“Push him back. I want him sitting on his heels,” Celia said and the men eased the boy back.

Kid’s face was bright red and wet with tears. His chest, unlike his back, bore only one raised, red stripe from the flogger.

“Open your legs, Slave,” said Celia.

Kid sobbed harshly, his chest shaking with the effort, but he complied.

“You’ve been such a good boy, Slave. I think you’ve earned a gift.” Celia trailed the flogger slowly across Kid’s cock and balls. Kid’s breath stopped all together and didn’t return until after Celia had made a few passes with the soft leather.

Slowly, his cock began to stir, growing despite his shame and humiliation. Despite the fact his audience watched with bated breath for the moment Celia would unleash her dildo on him. Despite the fact he couldn’t possibly know what was going to happen next.

Celia continued to coax Kid’s erection, going so far as to lower herself to her knees and stroke him with her bare hand. Kid groaned as his sensitive flesh was expertly caressed. He’d seemingly forgotten about the flogger, didn’t know about Celia’s cock, and his body swayed toward her slowly. Forward and back, following her fingers and whimpering when they didn’t come back fast enough to suit him.

“Greedy, slave,” Celia said. “I’m greedy too and I don’t think you’ve earned your present yet.” She stood and Kid held his breath again. Slowly, Celia put her plump nipple to Kid’s lips. It was brave, considering the boy could bite her, but Celia seemed unconcerned with such things. “Suck.”

Kid opened his mouth and accepted Celia’s nipple. He groaned, loud and unabashed. His cock jerked in midair. The pain seemed to be a memory to him as he latched on and suckled Celia in long, hungry pulls that had her gasping and pulling his mouth closer.

“Yes!” Celia yelled, and it required no translation on Felipe’s part. “Suck harder.”

Kid obliged, only pulling his mouth away to breathe and occasionally switch breasts, which Celia took great relish in.

Finally, the moment had arrived and she forced Kid’s head away with a loud pop. Her nipples were bright red and fat from having been sucked so hard, but she didn’t seem to take notice or care. She grabbed her rubber cock and brought it to Kid’s mouth. “Now, suck this.”

Kid, obviously sensing something foreign, reared back and turned his head, “No, Celia. Please, no.”

Celia didn’t bother to respond, she raised the flogger and struck him across the chest with so much force there was a collective wince in the room. Kid tried to double over, but the men held him up.

Caleb wondered what it would be like to let a woman whip him. Aside from Rafiq, no one had dared strike him and lived after Tehran. Yes, Rafiq, had punished him in the very early years, when Caleb still needed it to remind him he had survived. It had been well over a decade, since Caleb had been on the submissive end of any encounter.

“Suck it!” Celia repeated. This time, Kid opened his mouth and let Celia fuck his mouth with the enormous phallus.

The room was filled with the occasional chuckle whenever Kid choked, but even then, they were apparent in their lust. A look around the room would reveal some of the master’s had decided to make use of their slaves mouths, mimicking Celia’s movements and thrusting their very real cocks into the ravenous mouths of the slaves at their feet.

Caleb looked down at Kitten. She had abandoned her quest to not see or hear what was happening around her and was openly watching as others fornicated around her. Caleb reached for her hand and gently pressed it against his erection. His cock leapt when her wide eyes darted to his. He expected her to try and snatch her hand away, but he felt her fingers tighten around him through the fabric of his pants.

“She seems to like you just fine. It must be me she doesn’t care for,” said Rafiq rather wryly.

“Unlike some, she has taste,” Caleb countered. He slowly lifted his hips and pressed deeper into Kitten’s hand. He remembered the shower, the way she had eagerly wanted to please him. He wanted that again. He wanted Livvie. The thought jolted him back into the moment and he stilled Kitten’s hand on his erection. She looked up at him.

Did I do something wrong? Her eyes asked. Caleb shook his head, but drew her hand away.

“Shy, Caleb? Really? You of all people,” said Rafiq, mocking.

“Fuck you,” Caleb said, his tone pleasant.

“Let him loose,” Celia said and once again, drawing both him and Rafiq back to the scene in before them. As the men worked to unbind Kid, Celia shimmied out of her strap-on and seemed to brace herself.

The room was tense as Kid eagerly tried to get loose even faster. Still, once he was free of the locks, he remained on his knees and blindfolded in front of Celia. His cock was still hard, which was impressive given the circumstances.

“Do you think you were good, Slave?” Celia’s voice had dropped to a whisper that Felipe mimicked as well as he could.

“Yes, Celia?” replied Kid.

“I agree. You were very good, for your first time. Would you like to fuck me?” Kid jolted when Felipe repeated the words for him to understand and though he didn’t seem capable of rendering a verbal response, the crowd witnessed his cock bobbing up and down as it filled completely. Precome wept copiously from the tip. “Well, Slave. Do you want to fuck me or not?”

Kid nodded and stammered through his reply, “Y-y-yes, Celia.”

Celia stepped in front of Kid and lifted his arms to put them around her. Kid let out a needy sound and greedily mauled the flesh offered to him. “Then fuck me,” Celia said.

Without further ado, Kid leapt on top of Celia, tossing her to the ground with brutish force. Celia cried out in abandon, but made no attempt to stop Kid from doing what he wanted. His hips tilted back for only a moment and then he thrust forward, savagely, into Celia’s pussy. He whimpered as he rutted against her.

Celia moaned, arching her back and spreading her legs as wide as she could, surrendering to the man pounding away on top of her. “¡Sí, mi amor! Es todo para ti. .”

Yes, my love. It’s all for you.

Kid sought Celia’s nipple blindly and finally pulled one into his mouth. He suckled Celia in rough, bruising pulls. His hips, moved like a piston. Indeed, the boy seemed violent in his need to come and by the way he gripped Celia, it was obvious he would fight anyone who attempted to stop him.

Finally, Kid let out a sound best reserved for a dying animal and thrust into Celia one final time. As the crowd applauded and cheered, the boy shuddered and collapsed on top of Celia.

Caleb quickly made his excuses, helped Kitten to her feet and left the room in desperate search of the butler and his room.

Chapter Ten

Matthew swallowed past the dryness in his throat. If he didn’t know better, he would suspect Olivia of having some sort of telepathic ability. He sat still in the uncomfortable chair and tried not to draw attention to the raging erection he was sporting.

Olivia’s eyes were fixed on him, but her stare seemed to move through him and beyond to some place he couldn’t see. Her eyes were brimmed with tears, but for whatever reason, Matthew doubted they had much to do with the story. In fact, she had told it with some fondness which he found disturbing given the situation.

Unbidden, the image of a young woman, dressed in white leather and wearing an enormous dildo flashed into his mind and right on its heels, he wondered what it might be like to be forced to suck it in front of a room full of strangers. Matthew’s erection throbbed angrily and not for the first time, he was ashamed. He sighed, disappointed with himself, and crossed his ankle over his knee to better hide himself.

He clicked his pen a few times because his fingers were anxious for something to do and then he wrote down the names: ‘Kid’, Nancy, and Celia (No known last name). “So, that was the night you met, Rafiq, and Felipe. Do you know what happened to Kid or Nancy? How did they end up at the house? Did Caleb kidnap them, too?”

Olivia glowered, but seemed unable to stop staring off into space long enough to direct it at him. He couldn’t make sense of her feelings toward her captor, despite knowing how common it was. There just didn’t seem to be anything there worth caring about as far as Matthew was concerned. However, he did acknowledge there was a lot about Olivia worth admiring. She had spent the last four months in the company of kidnappers, rapists, murderers, drug dealers, and human traffickers, but she’d somehow maintained a certain naivety and triumphant strength that apparently, could not be stripped away from her.

“I don’t know what happened to them. The last time I saw them, they were both alive. Kid is probably fine; Felipe really liked him. Nancy…I don’t know. Maybe she’s still with Rafiq,” she whispered without blinking.

“Are you alright, Miss Ruiz?” Matthew asked. His erection was finally starting to wane and he could focus on his questions.

The girl finally blinked and swiped at the fat tears sliding down her cheeks as a result. “I’m fine, Reed. It’s just…never mind.” She looked up at him and tried to smile, but it was a weak effort and they both knew it.

“Tell me. I know I’m not Sloan, but I have been around, Miss Ruiz.” Matthew smiled when she finally let her smile reach her eyes.

“Sloan. I don’t know what her deal is. She’s always so nice to me, but it annoys me for some reason. I don’t think she’s disingenuous, but I just know there’s more to her than she lets on. I mean, she works for the FBI, like you. Only, she’s not like you, at all.”

“Oh? And what am I like?” Matthew said.

She rolled her eyes, “You’re a jerk, Agent Reed.”

“You’re kind of a jerk, too, Miss Ruiz,” Matthew said dryly. She laughed.

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Olivia said, slightly mocking but she laughed again, unrestrained, almost like a girl without any problems.

“So, you don’t like Sloan,” he rephrased. “Why?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like her, Reed. You’re always putting words in my mouth,” she admonished. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you implied Caleb kidnapped Kid and Nancy. He couldn’t have, he was with me, remember?”

Matthew smiled wryly and shook his head, “I didn’t imply it, Miss Ruiz. I asked the question. That’s my job. Also, we both know he did. Maybe he didn’t do it himself, but he was there and he ordered it. Regardless, adding more kidnapping to the list of charges against him is hardly going to make a difference.” Olivia was quiet for a long time after that, thinking, Matthew assumed.

“You keep talking about him like he’s alive, Reed, and I told you…he’s not.” Her eyes were filled with unshed tears again and it was difficult for Matthew to remain unaffected by them. No matter what he thought of Caleb, Olivia obviously felt very deeply for him.

“Why do you care about him so much, Miss Ruiz?” he demanded. He just didn’t get it and it pissed him off, more than it should. “He was terrible to you. The things he did to you. Don’t tell me you wanted those things. I can’t believe you could have.”

Olivia was staring off into space again, but she spoke through her tears, “A lot of bad things happened to him too, Reed. His back was covered in whip marks and he told me he was very young when someone did that to him.” Matthew couldn’t hold back a scoff, and Olivia blinked and scowled at him. “I’m not stupid, Reed. I know the shit he did to me was awful, I fucking lived it. But I’m telling you, monsters aren’t born, they’re made, and someone made Caleb. Someone beat him, someone did horrible things to him, and the only person who helped him, Rafiq, made him into a killer. He didn’t have someone like you, or Sloan, or the goddamn FBI to help him. He had to survive all by himself and even though I can’t forgive him, I understand him.”

“Are you trying to tell me he’s the monster with a heart of gold?” he said, disbelieving, “Come on, Miss Ruiz. Really?”

Anger flashed on her face. “There isn’t a permanent mark on me, Reed, not one. And you don’t know how many times he was there to hold me together when I was sure I was going to fall apart. He’s a monster,” she sobbed, “I know he is. I know, and…it doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

Crying women left him bereft of action. They reminded him too much of his birth mother lying on the couch, shaking and begging him to find a way to score more drugs for her. He’d panic at times like that, knowing if Greg came home and found her, he’d beat her and then turn his rage on him. He’d only been seven, but he knew how to get lost for a while. He would grab his coat, kiss his mother, promise her he’d be back with her medicine and then he’d leave. There was an older lady, Mrs. Kavanaugh, who lived a few blocks away. When things got bad, he would stay at her house, eating cookies and watching game shows until his mom, or Greg, came looking for him.

His mother had been a weak woman, a drug addict that cared more about being loved by an abusive man than she did her own son. Matthew had tried for years to help his mother get clean, but in the end, she couldn’t stop using. One night, she was too high to defend herself, and Greg beat her to death. Matthew hadn’t been home, he’d been out with his friends, and when he’d arrived at home he’d found her: cold and still.

Matthew was thirteen and he went to live with Mrs. Kavanaugh’s daughter, Margaret, and her husband, Richard Reed. Greg committed suicide in lieu of going to jail for murder, and Matthew had never gotten over the injustice of it, despite the fact his life had improved drastically after that. Margaret and Richard were his real mother and father as far as he was concerned. He tried not to think of those other people.

“Horrible things happen to a lot of people, Miss Ruiz. Not everyone becomes a monster,” he said.

“No, but the world is full of people who do. It’s like those kids in Africa that get taught how to use machine guns and kill. Some of them can barely lift the guns, but they’re killers. What about them, Reed? Do you hold them responsible? Would you lock them away or put them down?” She wiped her eyes.

“That’s different, and you know it. The entire continent is rife with civil unrest and it’s people like Muhammad Rafiq, Felipe Villanueva, and yes, even Caleb, that get those kids hooked on cocaine and then teach them how to kill. I hold those people responsible.”

“What about the one’s that grow up? What about the one’s that survive long enough to become adults? Can you blame them for doing the only thing they know how?” She had to stop and breathe, her anger making her shake. He could see it on her face. She wanted to hit him. “Do you think that ten or twenty years from now, I’m going to feel normal or be normal or have a normal life, like you?”

Matthew let out an exasperated sigh, “I don’t know, Miss Ruiz. I don’t have those kinds of answers for you. It’s wrong, what happens to those kids, but it doesn’t give them free license as adults to rape and murder just because they’ve been doing it since they were young. Nor does it justify their actions because they had a fucked up childhood.”

“So…what? Fuck ‘em?” she challenged, her eyes wild. “Is that the best you can do?”

Matthew shrugged, “I don’t see the comparison, Miss Ruiz. Even if I did, are you telling me if one of those kids pointed a gun at you, if one of them raped you, you’d be willing to forgive them? Because I don’t think I have that much compassion. Anyone who points a weapon at me is going to get brought down. I don’t care if it’s a fucking Girl Scout.”

Olivia laughed without humor, “You’re fucking wrong, Reed. That’s exactly what Caleb would say.” She regarded him for a moment. “You are different from Sloan; she would never say anything like that.”

Matthew shrugged, trying to find his calm. The conversation had gotten out of control, and really, it just wasn’t necessary. “I tell it like it is and believe me, you’re not the first person to find it annoying.”

“Speaking of…why would you tell Sloan I kissed you?”

“Because you did. Dr. Sloan would have asked and it’s irrelevant to me but important for her to know.”

She rolled her eyes again, “I just wanted to distract you. You wouldn’t give me Caleb’s fucking picture and I wanted it. Now, Sloan thinks I’m some kind of sexual deviant who tries to seduce asshole FBI agents that want to shoot Girl Scouts.”

Matthew smiled in spite of himself, “Well, aren’t you?”

“Tell me, you’re joking.” She stared at him, a startled, even comical expression on her face. “No one is that self-absorbed.”

“I’m joking. And I am that self-absorbed.” They both laughed amiably, but the conversation was far from over and it was up to Matthew to bring it back around, but he wanted to give Livvie the time to get there. “You still haven’t answered the question: Why do you care so much about Caleb?”

She sighed at that, her focus seemingly far away. When she spoke, her tone was soft and somewhat wistful. “He used to talk to me at night. It was almost like the dark gave us permission to be ourselves, to put aside the fact he was my kidnapper, and the man responsible for all the terrible things that happened to me during the day. But you have to understand, for all the bad Caleb did, he protected me too, in his own ways. It could have been so much worse for me without Caleb.”

“That night, after Celia had whipped Kid in front of everyone, Rafiq had tried to separate us. He wanted me to stay in his room and I was terrified Caleb would let it happen. I’d seen what Rafiq had done to Nancy. I could still hear her screams in my ears and feel her hands grabbing for me. I didn’t want to end up like her.

“Caleb refused. He said I would scream for hours on end if I were separated from him. He said I was a danger to myself and Rafiq didn’t know me well enough to know what I needed. He’d said it all in English and the moment Rafiq reached for me I started screaming bloody murder until Caleb lifted me into his arms. I even threw in some feverish gibberish, clutching at him and begging him not to let me go. I didn’t have to work hard to be panicked. I was panicked.

“Caleb stroked my hair and I slowly relaxed into his arms, going so far as to ‘faint’. Maybe it was a little over the top, but it worked. Felipe had begged Caleb’s forgiveness for not offering to have him shown to his room sooner and called the butler over to take us to Caleb’s room.” Livvie chuckled softly as she recounted the story and Matthew had to wonder if her sense of humor had always been so dark or if it was an aftereffect of her time spent in ruthless company.

“Oh!” Olivia suddenly exclaimed, “I remember something. Felipe told Rafiq the boat would be arriving in four days and he asked if Rafiq would be leaving to meet it, or if he planned to stay and have someone else handle it.”

Matthew leaned forward, pen poised over his notepad, “He said this in front of you?”

“He thought I was passed out. I don’t know if it’s important. It was months ago, so the boat has obviously already come and gone, but I do remember it because I wondered if we were near water and if I was going to be on that fucking boat.”

“Obviously, that didn’t happen,” Matthew said, stating the obvious.

“No, but you didn’t ask me if it happened. You told me to tell you everything I remember,” she said.

“So what happened?”

“I don’t know, but Rafiq was gone a few days later, so I assume he went to meet the boat and whoever or whatever was on it.”

Probably drugs, Matthew thought, and he made a note to look into locations near water and cross-reference them with his list of military installations in Pakistan. He would also have to call the Federal Investigation Agency in Pakistan. The FIA likely knew something; it was getting them to admit it and tell him. “Anything else that might be useful?” he asked.

“Not that I can think of right now. Besides, I was telling you about me and Caleb.”

Matthew rolled his eyes. “Fine. It seems to be helping you remember things, but please, try to keep the sex stuff to a minimum. I really don’t need to hear the blow-by-blow.”

Olivia smiled, “Was that a pun, Reed?”

“Hardly, just a poor choice of words,” he acknowledged. The image he’d manufactured of Celia thrusting that dildo into Kid’s mouth once again assaulted him. He shook his head and it dissipated. He wished he’d never heard that story. It wasn’t the act he guiltily found intriguing, but the authority behind it. Matthew didn’t care for weak women, but he certainly had a thing for domineering ones. And in the darkest recesses of Matthew’s mind, he knew why.

“Are you really going to listen? Will you at least try to see things the way I do?” she requested earnestly.

Matthew’s stomach did a strange flip-like thing at the sound of her begging tone. This was always the part of the job he hated. He liked solving the puzzle, putting the case facts together and tracking down the criminals, but this part, dealing with the victims and their myriad personalities and experiences, most of them tragic, he couldn’t stand. He could stand Olivia more than some other people he’d interviewed. Now that she wasn’t so much of a basket case, she seemed made of much stronger stuff, but she was still in a strange limbo of victim and suspect.