I could barely hear him over the music. We moved across the dance floor toward the entrance, the heat and sweat of the dancing people around us pressing in on me.
This was why I’d stopped coming here. These people all needed something. Every single one of them. For some it was simple. A kind word. Someone to hold them. For others it was not so simple. Pain. Pleasure. Service. Mastery. Some loved nothing but pain. Others loved nothing more than causing it.
I was none of these things. These people were hurting, and it was in my nature to try to give others what they needed. No matter the cost to myself. So I’d left this life behind. There were too many broken hearts. Too many shattered souls I could not heal. I’d felt like a failure even as, more and more, they clamored for my attention.
This place had nearly sucked the life out of me. Killed me dead. That’s when Geros and Kayson had found me, convinced me to join the war, the Coalition Fleet. Hurting things, killing things, had sounded like a good outlet for my pent-up pain.
Even that had failed me. I’d killed our enemies, yet every time I still saw the Prillon warrior or Viken fighter beneath the implants, behind their blank stares. Killing them had been a mercy, an act of service, and even then, I could not escape giving away pieces of myself.
"I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong.” Geros’ thought mirrored my own. Not comforting.
I had been searching for what felt like hours and had yet to find any sign of her. The club would become increasingly dangerous for Smith as the night went on.
There was only one more place to look. Surely, she would not—
And yet, she was. I relaxed for the first time in hours and grabbed Geros by the arm. When he turned, I pointed to a place beyond a few gyrating bodies on the dance floor. She was standing alone, her arms crossed tightly, her eyes overly bright. I moved in to stand behind her and frowned at the condition she’d allowed herself to be in. She was freezing cold, her flesh pebbled and cool to the touch. She didn’t respond to my nudge of her shoulder. The dancers must have bumped into her repeatedly for her to ignore the contact.
Or she was so engrossed in the flogging scene playing out before her that she could not look away.
I wanted to watch her a bit longer, determine if the glazed look in her eyes was need or fear. If she was paralyzed with disbelief, a need to watch the grotesque, or envy for the sub who’s master flogged her as she screamed. I knew the sub well, had been on the other side of the flogger more than once. She was one who needed someone to help her release her rage, her pent-up frustration. Her fear and tension. She could not do it alone. She needed someone to force her to release the stronger emotions.
Smith barely moved, hardly blinked.
Geros broke the spell. “Are you alright?”
She turned to face us, moving slowly, the empty space in her mind filling with thoughts once again. "I'm fine.” She pasted on a very bright, completely dishonest smile. Her voice was trembling. “Shall we go?”
Geros led the way to the entrance. I made them wait as I retrieved Smith’s cloak. The night air was cool and she was not wearing enough to keep her warm.
I refused to think about the fact that leaving Club Trinity would allow anyone outside of the club to see her body, my marks on her back, and it filled me with protective rage. Those things were personal. Private.
Mine.
We rode the short distance to our rented apartment in silence, Kayson driving our rented EV. Smith spent the entire ride staring out the window. Geros and I spent the time watching her.
We had agreed in advance to discuss nothing of importance until we were safely inside the walls of our residence. We’d thoroughly checked the rooms for any type of technology that could monitor us or overhear our conversations. We’d found the usual, standard tech meant to be used by law enforcement or in medical emergencies.
We’d disabled those as well.
The moment the door closed behind the four of us, Kayson was glaring. “What the fuck happened tonight? You were supposed to be out of there an hour ago.”
Smith smiled. “What happened tonight, gentlemen, was victory. Third floor. Someone called Master Gee. There is a tablet in his office with dozens of pictures of the queen and Allayna. Even a recent picture of the princess in one of your ReGen pods. There were a lot more, but I didn’t have time to look at all of them.”
My blood ran cold. “You broke into one of the master’s private suites?”
A strained silence settled over all four of us as we waited for Smith to explain herself.
“No. I did not break in. I was invited.”
“What?” I saw red. I knew Master Gee. He was a sadist. He kept slaves and did not treat them well. He was a monster. If he hadn’t been one of the original founding members of Trinity, he would have been kicked out years ago.
Decades.
I grabbed Smith’s elbow, reaching for the clasp on her cloak. “Did he hurt you? God, did he touch you? Talk to me. Tell me.”
She wrenched her arm out of my hold. “What does that matter? I had a job to do and I did it.”
“Fuck. You have no idea what kind of danger you were in. He’s a monster.”
