As jittery as she was, would she be able to? Did she even want to? “Thank you.”
He nodded. “We’re here if you need anything. Safety is most important. But…have a good time.”
Nervously fingering the locket Seth had given her, Heavenly hurried to the gate, pushed it open, then paused. She glanced back once more to find Beck and Seth bathed in light, watching her through the sliding glass door with matching predatory stares.
They were coming for her…
Heart thundering in her ears, she sucked in a ragged breath. Then, with a whimper, she ran…
In the rustic office, Beck’s pulse thudded hard in a tense, anticipatory beat. Seth stood beside him, tension vibrating off him in waves. Both men fixed their hungry stares on the wooden gate where Heavenly had vanished into the darkness.
The bearded proprietor glanced at his watch. “Four minutes, thirty seconds.”
Time was crawling by.
With a sigh of impatience, Beck dragged his gaze to the map in his hands. Seth followed suit, leaning close. The compound’s layout was deceptively simple—five buildings scattered across what looked like twenty acres of wooded terrain.
“We should strategize. Where do you think she went?” Beck murmured, eyeing the schematic. He had to admit, the names of the structures on the property were clever…
“Since I don’t think she’s eager for us to toss her to the ground and do her under a bush, she’ll run straight to one of the locations.”
“Absolutely.”
Seth tapped on the icon for the Love-Shackled Cottage. “Here. It’s her style—romantic, intimate…with a bit of bondage. She’s likely to feel most comfortable there.”
“Probably.” Beck eyed the other options. “But let’s be tactical. If she’s not there, where should we search next?”
“Since the cottage is the furthest building on the property, I say we work our way back toward the front.” Seth traced a suggested path with his finger across the map.
“Makes sense. So, our next stop would be, St. Merciless General?”
“Yep.”
“God, I hope she doesn’t go there. I work in a medical facility; I don’t want to play in one.” Beck grimaced. “Then again, our girl might think it’s funny to make me chase her through a fake hospital.”
“I wouldn’t mind giving her a thorough exam, like we did in San Diego.” His smile was sly. “Good times.”
“Oh, the night she wore the pearl panties and we made her walk back to our villa after dinner? Great times.” Even the memory ratcheted up his lust.
“I’m down for a repeat.”
“Same, but not in a medical environment. Next time, though, I’ll swipe you a lab coat…Dr. Cooper.”
“Deal.” Seth chuckled, then quickly sobered as his finger swiped across the page to The Ministry of Sin. “I fucking hope she doesn’t pick the church. Between our priest and my mom, I’m already carrying enough Catholic guilt.”
“With my past, you know I hope she chose somewhere else.” Beck consulted his map again. “Obedience Corral and the Headmaster’s Office are about the same distance from the church. I can guess which one flips your switch.”
“The Headmaster’s Office.” They chuckled in tandem.
“You said she got off on that game of ‘master and maid’ you played with her last spring.”
“Oh, she loved the power dynamic.” Seth’s rough voice dropped an octave. “And the thought of her playing naughty student to our very stern principals…”
“That doesn’t turn me off. But…maybe she’ll surprise us and choose Obedience Corral. We’ve introduced her to a few different kinks, but she’s always curious about more.” Beck had never shown her his single-tail skills, and his cock stirred at the thought of cuffing Heavenly to a cross and sending her to subspace.
“True that. It will be interesting to see where we find her. At least we have a game plan when that goddamn timer finally goes off. How much longer?” Seth asked over his shoulder.
“Two minutes,” the proprietor announced.
