“I think she’s had enough,” a low voice says.
I freeze, recognizing Anvil’s voice. I blink and lean slightly forward.
I get a glimpse of the scene. Anvil’s sitting on the couch, his shoulders bare. I can’t tell if he’s just shirtless or naked. There’s a muted movie playing on the screen... something old. MaybeReservoir Dogs?
Trick’s standing behind the couch with some sort of implement in his hand. And bent over the couch is clearly a woman if the curve of the naked hips, butt, and legs are any indication. There are red marks striping her ass, and her hands are cinched together in some sort of pouch.
“Have you had enough? Tap your foot once for yes,” Trick says. He’s wearing dark boxer briefs, and his body is as good as expected.
I’m transfixed for a moment. Is she gagged? I really want to see her face. Her bare, narrow foot taps the floor.
Trick drops the implement on the couch. “You first or me?” Trick asks casually.
“It’s all you,” Anvil says, watching the movie.
I’m so torn. A dark and dirty part of me wants to stay and watch, too fascinated to move.
Another part knows that every second I stay raises the possibility that I’ll be caught. And how would they react? How would C react?
I slide my coat slowly and carefully from the chair. Then I back out of the room.
My cheeks are flushed and my breath’s short as I hurry back to the front door. I drag my socks on and shove my feet into my boots. Then I yank my bags up on my shoulder and quietly open the door. I step out into the velvety darkness, pulling the door closed behind me as gently as I can.
The sharp cold burns my nostrils. I follow a walkway to the drive and take it, knowing it leads to the front’s gated entrances. I am only about fifty feet from the house when a noise behind me startles me, and I spin around to find Anvil towering over me.
He’s got a long coat on, but it’s open so I can see his bare chest and jeans. There’s a gun in his left hand and flashlight in his right. He clicks on the flashlight and shines it on the surrounding area.
“Are you meeting someone?” he demands.
“No,” I say sharply.
“Get back to the house,” he says, continuing forward.
“I—I’m leaving.”
His head turns and his glance sizes me up. “Who’s coming to pick you up?” he demands.
“I was going to call an Uber from the sidewalk.”
He stares at me a moment. “You were going to stand on the sidewalk in the middle of the night, waiting for a random Uber driver?”
I don’t answer.
“You know where you are, right? We’re south of Aberdeen Street.”
Everyone knows the roughest neighborhoods in Coynston are south of Aberdeen.
I’m shivering from cold and the shock of being discovered. He’s so tall I have to crane my neck to look at him.
“I guess I knew that, but I didn’t expect there to be much mayhem next to the C Crue compound.”
The front door opens, and Trick strolls out with Connor directly behind him. Trick’s got jeans and sweatshirt on. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I wouldn’t have had any idea that he’d just been engaged in some BDSM scene.
Trick smirks at the sight of me. “Nice night for a walk, huh, Zoe?”
“You checked the house that fast?” Anvil demands of him.
“The house is fine,” Trick says.
