Dark (Beautiful Ashes #1)(19)
There was some coughing. Mitch faced him. “The same one that Senator Caleb Reynolds was involved with.”
“Which means, you need Keeley.” Tar heard the horror in his own voice. “You do realize, she doesn’t remember much from her captivity?”
Another man spoke up, “But she could go back in undercover.”
Tar’s hand was around the guy’s throat before anyone could think twice about stopping him. “She. Will. Not. Be. A whore.” His teeth were clenched together so tight he could barely speak, but he managed, “She’s mine.”
Mitch reasoned with the enraged Tar. “Listen. Killing Collins here isn’t going to solve any of our problems. Take a breather, my man.”
Logic began to flood Tar as he released the man’s throat. Staring down into his beady eyes, he warned, “Don’t you fucking touch her.”
The man coughed loudly rubbing where Tar had squeezed. “Roger that.”
“Thing is, we still need an in,” Mitch continued, “a woman who can be around the clientele. Give us descriptions of who all is involved.”
“I can do that for you,” a soft female voice brought all eyes to the open door.
Bile rose as Tar’s stride ate up the distance between him and Keeley. “Abso-fucking-lutley NOT!” he roared.
“You should be resting,” Mitch intervened, ignoring the fuming Tarius at his side.
“I heard yelling.” Keeley eyed Tar. “I was curious as to why.”
Mitch motioned for her to take a seat, but Tar blocked her. “No. No. No. You will not do this.”
“With all due respect, Tar, that’s her decision to make. Not yours,” Mitch apprised.
Before anyone saw what was coming, Tar’s fist shot out. Mitch hit the floor, hard. Guns were drawn as Mitch commanded, “Stand down.”
Tar leveled his furious gaze on Keeley’s as he placed her over his shoulder, taking special care not to injure her further, and left the room. His long strides took them a good distance away from the others. She was screaming and kicking the entire time. His hand came down firmly on her ass.
“That,” she squealed, “was uncalled for.”
“Shut up, Viper. Before I really spank your sweet ass.”
Keeley swallowed her retort. And damn the man for actually turning her on. He set her down on a counter inside a storage room. She watched his agitated pacing. “Tar? Stop please.”
He turned toward her. “I won’t let you voluntarily whore yourself out.”
Keeley’s voice was gentle. “They don’t want prostitutes.”
“All the more reason why you aren’t doing this.”
“They need someone on the inside.” Her hand came up to silence him before he could argue further. “Most of these girls are innocent, raped for profit. They are kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder, passed around like an object. Don’t you understand,” she implored, “we can’t let this go on.”
Tar took a deep, fortifying breath and stepped between her legs. “They can find someone else. A woman trained to protect herself.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “You can train me.”
His gaze shot to hers. “No!”
She stroked his hard pecs. “All my life, I’ve been a fuck-up. Drugs, alcoholism, prostitution, among my many sins. For once, let me atone.”
“You don’t need to repent another time, Keeley.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “I know all of that, and I don’t care. I love you just the way you are.”
“But I need to love me. I’m no good for either one of us this way. If,” her voice caught on a sob, “I’m ever going to be able to have a normal relationship with you, I have to forgive myself. I have to be worthy.”
He sucked in a breath and grabbed her face in his large hands. “You. Are. Worthy.”
She searched his eyes for deception, but found only admiration. How did that happen? Why would such a phenomenal man fall in love with her? Sure, she could lie to herself and say that was not what she saw in the depths of those emeralds, piercing her with love, but why deceive herself. “It’s your love for me that makes me want to be a better person. Please.” She licked her lips. “Let me do this.”
He shook his head as his lips brushed hers. “Not without me.”
Her gasp was caught in his mouth as he took hers gently, tenderly, pouring all his love into the kiss. If she wouldn’t listen to his words, then he’d speak to her body with his. She opened further, letting her tongue dance with his. The knock on the door broke their moment of passion. Both winded and needing more of each other. Her breathy whisper in his ear, “Show me later,” almost made him tell the person waiting on the other side to go fuck themselves. She might not be able to have sex, but he could make damn sure she had a mind-blowing orgasm.