“He did,” Riley confirmed. “I have copies of the policy, Kinley. In the event of your death, he’s the sole beneficiary.”
She took a deep breath and seemed to rally. “So? Married people take out policies on one another. They protect their future, just in case. I’m sure he took one out on himself, too. He probably meant to tell me, but life has been so chaotic. All we’ve been able to talk about lately is the wedding. After the ceremony, he would have told me.”
“No, he wouldn’t. And he didn’t buy a policy that would protect you in the event of his death. He only made sure that he’d pocket money if you died.” Law hated stripping away her illusions. She might not love Greg Jansen, but she’d certainly thought well enough of him to marry him and trust her future with him. His guess? Kinley felt guilty for not loving her fiancé.
“That doesn’t prove anything. I’m sure after our honeymoon, he would have talked to me about taking out a policy on him. You’re acting like insurance is a crime. I’m sure he just…wanted to feel secure.”
“And he needed a ten-million-dollar policy to do it?”
“What?” She half gasped, half choked the question. “Ten million dollars? Why would he need that much money if I died? He’s already rich.”
Now she was finally listening. “That’s a good question, one we’ve been asking since we discovered the policy.” Law nudged Riley out of the way and led her to the great room. “I know this is a lot to think about. Sit down and I’ll get you some coffee, baby.”
She put a hand up to stop him. “No. I’m not going to sit down and have a civilized conversation with the men who drugged me and took me to…god knows where. Just because Greg did something that doesn’t make sense to you, you’re casting him in the worst possible light. There must be some reasonable explanation. If I asked him to explain it, I have little doubt it would be perfectly logical. Why are you even telling me this? You’re criminals, men who kidnap innocent women. And I told you to stop calling me baby.”
Riley was right back to his interrogation. “Use your head, Kinley. We know why you’re marrying Jansen, and it has absolutely nothing to do with love.”
“How would you know that?”
Riley shrugged a little as though he didn’t really give a shit. “It’s the way women like you work.”
Her perfectly plucked brows rose. “Women like me? What do you mean by that?”
“Beautiful women.”
“You think I’m beautiful?” She frowned, then shook off the question. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
Riley’s stare slid off her, his fist clenching. “Yeah. Gorgeous society women like you don’t give a shit what a man is really like. You only care about how much money he has or how he can enhance your public image.”
His brother was never going to get over Simone. One lousy woman, one lame relationship, and she’d ruined Riley for all time. God, Law wished he’d never fucking met her.
“Give Kinley a break,” he told his brother.
Once again, she seemed intent on defending herself. Law was actually a little proud of her.
“You have no idea who I am,” she insisted through clenched teeth. “None. And I don’t want breakfast. I want to go back to the hotel. Greg must be waiting to hear from me and is terribly worried. You ruined my wedding, you bastards. I’m supposed to be on my honeymoon now.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Riley got right in her face. His voice was low and grave.
“Ry, tread lightly.” He felt the same way, but there was no reason to piss her off. It was obvious she didn’t understand what was going on.
Kinley didn’t even look at him, preferring to stare at Riley. Hands on her hips, she rose to her tiptoes, but she still couldn’t even reach his chin. “No. I’m not kidding, and please watch your language. You have a horrible potty mouth.”
Riley’s whole face turned red. He wasn’t used to women doing anything but falling at his feet. Law had to admit, it was kind of cool to watch his usually unflappable brother fucking up right and left with a woman. “You are either insane or stupid.”
“And you are rude!” Kinley screamed right back at him.
Not only was Riley rude, he also looked hard. His brother’s erection was practically poking her in the belly. If his damn jeans weren’t so tight, his cock would very likely be knocking on Kinley’s stomach right that second.
He might be acting like the bad cop, but Riley was obviously the horny cop. And that probably pissed him off. He didn’t want to want Kinley.
Slowly, her body softened. Her lips flushed and parted. She was responding. To his brother.
“I’m going to speak really slowly so you can understand.” Sarcasm dripped from Riley’s mouth. “I’ll bet you don’t know why Jansen asked you to marry him, but I do. Ten million dollars, cupcake. He was going to kill you on your honeymoon and collect the insurance money.”
“I am going to use very small words so you can understand. Fuck off.” She slapped her right hand over her mouth. “You made me curse!”
Riley growled and rolled his eyes.
She turned to Law, her shoulders squaring. “You can’t prove any of this and you’re wrong. Let me go.”
“Eventually, we will—but not until it’s safe. But you need to listen to us. We do have evidence and we’re going to prove our case to you.”
All that blonde hair ruffled around her shoulders as she shook her head stubbornly. “It’s impossible to prove that Greg is a criminal because he’s not.”
“If you’re so sure, then it won’t hurt to listen. But you can’t listen without eating, sweet…I’m sorry. Kinley.” Law remembered that she didn’t want endearments from him. And it pissed him off. “That’s final.”
She sighed in annoyance. “I can’t eat.”
“You don’t like eggs? I’ll get you something else.”
She bit her lip and hesitated, clearly not wanting to admit the reason. “I can’t eat when my dress is so tight. And I can’t get out of it by myself. I tried. I can’t unbutton the back without help.”
Oh shit. He had to undress her. His fantasy and his nightmare rolled into one. “Turn around.”
She hesitated.
“I promise not to touch you. I’ll be careful. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
She slowly turned around, as if she wasn’t really sure this was a good idea. But if she wanted out of the dress, what were her more appealing options?
Finally, she showed him the elaborate back. The bodice was snug in a good way, and he couldn’t help but notice how it exaggerated the curve of her waist, the way her skin glowed against the lace, looking creamy and so damn soft. He wanted nothing more than to run his hand down every patch as he exposed it, but he couldn’t. His hands were callused. They didn’t belong touching anything so fine as her flesh.
Riley sat down on the sofa, shaking his head in an exasperated fashion. “We don’t have to torture her. That dress already does it. We should leave her in the sucker until she tells us what we need to know.”
“We’re not going to do that.” Law sent Riley a nasty glare as he stared at the buttons. Would the calluses on his hands snag the silk?
“Can you not undo it? Is it too tight? Oh, god. Are you going to have to cut me out?” She sounded horrified. “It really is too small for me. Becks was right; I shouldn’t have picked this dress.”
Becks was full of shit. The dress was perfect. “It’s lovely on you. And it fits just fine. It’s supposed to hug your curves, baby.” Damn it. “Sorry.”
Kinley looked over her shoulder at him. “Apology accepted. I usually like endearments. Just not from my kidnapper.”
She should have someone in her life who adored her, who called her baby or sweetheart every day of her life.
He reached for the top button, his hand shaking slightly. “Is it all right if I move your hair so I can reach the buttons?”
The soft honey strands were everywhere, long tresses of blonde silk that made him want to fist it as he fucked her deep. Law swallowed against his lust.
“Please. I would do it myself, but my arms are sore. I think I slept on them wrong.”
He brushed the curtain of golden tresses to the side and stared at her graceful neck and feminine shoulders. God, he was the horny cop now. What was he doing? Staring at her back and thinking about all the things he wanted to do to her once he got her undressed.
With a curse, Law forced himself to move. He began to unbutton the dress. “I’m sorry about your arms. We tried to make you comfortable.”
“Hell, most of the time you were being held like a baby,” Riley interjected.
“What?” She sounded scandalized by the thought they’d been anywhere near her in her sleep.
“Would you shut it?” Law snapped. “Now she thinks we’re perverts. We have a purpose. Convincing her that Jansen is a creep. Let’s not stray.”
And as soon as they were alone, he was going to have a long talk with his brother. Especially since Kinley had been softening again, responding to his attempts to be gentle. It worked—except Riley kept pissing her off.
“I’m terrible when I’m under the influence of anything. God, please tell me I didn’t do something I’ll regret.”
How the hell could Riley or Dominic think she was a manipulative bitch? Here she was being held hostage by three men she didn’t know and she was worried that she had done something wrong.
Kinley wasn’t a gold digger. She was the perfect sub, sweet and soft. Yet there was a core of strength to her. The people around her took advantage of her kind nature, her desire to please others. She, no doubt, had a hard time saying no. She needed a strong Dominant partner to lift her up and lend his strength.
But it wouldn’t be him. He just had to make sure Dominic didn’t tear her up while he sought his pound of flesh.
“You were very sweet,” he said.
“You asked me to marry you,” Riley said with the hint of a grin.
Her shoulders squared again. “Well, that was obviously the drugs talking. When I wasn’t on a cocktail of god knows what, I showed you how I really felt. I bit you. And I’ll do it again if you try to touch me.”
Law had half the buttons undone, but now he saw another problem. She was wearing a delicate, lacy white garment with metal boning. Corset. She was corseted and she was lovely. Fuck, she would look so gorgeous walking around his club wearing nothing but that corset, a tiny white thong, and stilettos. And his collar, of course. But he would never leave her in a corset for this long. Never. “Can you even breathe?”
“Is that a corset I see?” Riley loved them on a woman, and he sounded choked that Kinley might be wearing one.
Her skin flushed everywhere. She wouldn’t be able to lie effectively. The pink of her skin would always give her away. Law counted that as a plus.
“It was the only way I could fit in the dress. I think I need to sit down. I’m very dizzy.” She fell back into his arms, her whole body going limp.
Damn it. She’d starved herself trying to get into that dress, then they had fed her sedatives and failed to remove a device that restricted her breathing. Fucking brilliant. “Give me a knife. I’m getting her out of this thing.”
“Here.” Riley was at his side, handing him his pocketknife and finally looking like he gave a damn. “Should I get her some water?”
Her eyes fluttered back open. “Did I pass out? Was I dreaming? Please let me be back in New York. I’ll click my heels three times and everything.”
“I’m sorry, baby. This isn’t a dream, and you aren’t in New York. There’s no help for the dress. You need to breathe.” He sliced through the buttons and then made short work of the lacy ties of the corset.
She breathed a deep sigh of relief. “Oh, my god, that feels so good.”
The corset had left deep grooves in her skin, a map of where it had held her in. He touched one, unable to stop himself, and felt her shiver.
With distaste? With desire?
It didn’t matter because they were no longer alone. Dominic stormed into the room.
“Do you have any idea what you two have done?” He was in full-on angry commander mode and the soldier who had never quite left Law responded.
“Sir, no, sir.”
Kinley held the front of her dress to her chest and tried to scramble away, but she was caught in her skirts. She blinked up, her eyes wide and focused on Dominic.
“What the fuck is going on in here? Why isn’t she dressed and ready to talk? Law, I swear to god, if you fucked her, I’m going to beat the shit out of you. She is the hostage, not your girlfriend.”
“I’m no one’s hostage. Let me go!” Kinley demanded, obviously realizing that Dominic held some power over that situation.
