The Arrangement

She sighed, "a little better, but not perfect. That motherfucker hurt you."
She wasn't really seeking an answer, so I didn't offer one.

"I'm coming, baby. Hold on, okay?"

"Getting tired of you rescuing me Kaden," I whispered, swallowing down the tears threatening.

"Don't worry about it, baby. Give him the phone."

I handed the phone back to him and he moved away from me, turning to look out of a dirty window. I listened to the one-sided conversation.

"We good? ... Nah, she's good. Don't worry. And I will keep her good until you get here ... Nah, she stays with me until you deliver... I got a place for her, no one will have access...no prob. Two days."

He hung up and I watched him log onto one of the laptops. He seemed to be watching a movie or something, so I closed my eyes and tried to silence the throbbing in my head. Jesus, whatever he hit me with had really hurt. I wasn't even sure how I'd gotten here or how long I'd been in this room. Still, I was happy he was basically ignoring me...until I could no longer ignore the pain in my head. I cleared my throat.

"Excuse me, do you have some Advil or Tylenol?"

He glanced over at me, "nah, but I'll get you some. You hungry?"

I shook my head but then winced, regretting the movement. When my eyes were able to focus again, I noticed him staring at me.

"You are fucking fine as hell, but I don't know if I would risk dying to fuck you. And I surely wouldn't pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for your ass."

I didn't have an answer to that, so I remained quiet.

"Why'd you kill my boy?" He asked quietly after a few minutes.

"He was raping me," I blurted, not sure why I was answering him, pretty certain he wouldn't care. "His gun was right by the bed...I wasn't thinking...I just...I j-just wanted him...off."

He stared at me for a moment, and then directed his attention back to whatever was on his computer screen.

"How long do I have to stay here?"

"She said she'd have our shit in two days. So, two fucking days."

"What shit?"

I wasn't sure he would answer me...and he didn't at first. But then he reached forward to press a key on his computer and turned to me.

"You know what your lady do for a living?" He asked.

I didn't answer. I guess he took that as a yes.

"Well, she's been refusing to sell her product in the States. And now we have a chip to bargain with. So, she delivers what she promises, you get to go."
"And if she doesn't?"

He smirked, "baby girl, you don't want that to happen. Because you will spend the rest of your very short life providing for any man with a hard dick and $100."

He kept his eyes on me, cool, dark eyes that held no emotion as he said those horrible words to me. For a second I thought he might be kidding, but the dead eyes staring back at me dispelled that notion quickly. I'd been there, done that. I would rather die than do it again.

"I'm staying here for two days?" I changed the topic.

He nodded, "safer for you here, with me."

I didn't have any other questions, so he leaned forward to press another key and went back to watching his screen.

*

Someone dropped off an air mattress and some groceries a couple of hours later. The delivery included bottles of water, ibuprofen, some toiletries and some snacks. A considerate package, I thought to myself, for kidnappers. He left me alone to inflate the air mattress and pointed to a closed door across the room when I asked about a bathroom. I spent quite some time in there, washing the blood from my face and hair and gobbling down a few pills.

I wasn't really worried. I'm not sure why. Kaden could walk away from this if she wanted. I mean, I was clearly more than a handful. I came complete with all sorts of baggage. I would have walked away a long time ago. And if I fell into the hands of this gang...was that really her problem? She didn't owe me anything. In fact, she'd tried to warn me. Had hired Pete and Julian to protect me...

I sighed. I was so tired of her rescuing me. It didn't bode well for our future. How would I ever make up for all the money, time and effort she'd invested in me? How would we ever be equals? Did I really want to be in a relationship with someone who held so much over me?

But...I did love her. I'm not sure when it had happened, but...I loved her. She was kind, generous, smart, funny...protective...patient. She was...a good person. A great person. I was honored that she even wanted to spend time with me, much less be in a relationship with me.

My mind quickly flashed back to the incident with Mason...the violence that had erupted from her. A part of me was horrified, wondering how she could do that to another human being. But then again...Mason was lost. And he had no problem sacrificing me over and over again. And she'd been spending a lot of time and money trying to protect me from him, even as I seemed to do everything in my power to sabotage that protection. So...I mean...she was allowed to get frustrated, wasn't she? And she did sell weapons, a violent industry for sure. And she'd been in the military, so...what did I expect?

I sighed, resting my tired body on the plastic mattress, turning my back to my host. When would my life settle down? Would I ever be able to relax with Mason still in the picture? I needed to work harder to rid him from my life, permanently...before something happened to me, or Kaden, that we couldn't bounce back from.

*

Even after his threat to prostitute and kill me, my kidnapper did as promised. He made sure I ate, took me to another room to shower, allowed me to borrow a laptop so I could watch some movies...and he didn't bother me. He basically ignored me. And no one else was allowed to look at me, much less talk to me. I guess I was a valuable commodity. The two days passed pretty quickly once I realized I was relatively safe.

And when she walked into that office...I was so relieved to see her. I hadn't been one hundred percent sure she was going to come for me yet again. I mean, why would she? She said she would but...I was just relieved to see her. And I'd missed all that glorious bronze skin, those full lips...those broad shoulders and intense dark eyes. She walked over to me and I watched as she lifted her hand to gently caress my face.

"You okay?" She asked softly.

I nodded as my kidnapper spoke on my behalf.

"I told you no one would touch her."

Except Kaden's eyes went almost immediately to the lump on the side of my head. When she touched it gently, I winced. Those dark eyes got darker...colder...

"Go outside baby, Julian is waiting for you."

"She stays."

Kaden finally looked over at the man standing behind his desk, lord of the manor. She raised a brow, but then turned back to me.

"Then I'm really sorry baby," she said, her voice soft and...a little strange.

"Sorry about—"

I almost didn't see it, she moved so fast. Reaching behind her, a black object suddenly in her hand, and then two loud pops, deafening really, followed by a thud as something hit the floor...and then numerous pops outside of the office. It took my brain a minute to catch up...oh my God. I turned to look, but she grabbed my chin, leaned down, and placed her lips over mine, gently...tenderly. I should have pushed her away, I should have cringed with fear and horror...instead I could feel the warmth spread through my body almost immediately. She lifted her head all too soon and I turned to look in my kidnapper's direction again. But she still held my chin.

"Don't look, baby."

Her eyes never left mine as she turned me and then walked me to the door, her front pressed against my back, ensuring that I would not be able to look. Moments later I was standing in the corridor. Julian was waiting for us.

"We good?"

Julian nodded and Kaden took my hand.

"Come on, let's go."

*

I didn't know how to process what had just happened. As we rode home in the back of a large, black SUV, I remained close to Kaden's side, but...what the hell had just happened? She'd killed him. And all those gun shots outside of the office door...had they killed everyone? She'd been willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for me before, but now she was killing people? I didn't understand...

I swallowed...and decided to just ask her.

"Why did you do that?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Kaden was holding my hand as I sat close to her side. I felt her squeeze it.

"Don't stop trusting me now, baby. It had to happen that way."

I waited a moment ... "why? I don't understand."

Kaden turned to look at me, her eyes intense. "First, he put his hands on you. And I'm tired of men putting their hands on you." She raised my hand to her lips, kissing my knuckles gently. "Second, when it's your husband, and he's fucking around, I have to shell out dollars for you. I have to defer to your wishes, play nice, because he's your husband. But when it's about me, and my business? No."

Uh...okay. I still didn't understand.

"Why not?"

Kaden sighed, looking down at me, "baby, if I'd given them what they wanted, how quickly would that word spread? And then everyone would think they could get to me, asking for whatever shit they wanted, if they just took you. That word is probably out there already. And if it is, your life will be at risk...our lives will be a living hell. So, no. Fuck no. He doesn't get to control us like that."

Ah...that made more sense. I guess. Certainly a side of the problem I'd never considered. Still...she'd been pretty comfortable with that gun in her hand. She hadn't even looked in his direction when she shot him. I mean...she had to be pretty comfortable not to have to look, right? What kind of skill set was that? And she didn't seem to be disturbed by taking a man's life, even if that man was an asshole.

First she beat the shit out of Mason and now...I mean...who the hell was I sitting beside? Whose bed was I sharing? Who was this woman...really?

*

I didn't get a chance to figure that out, however. Well, let me be more honest, I stopped thinking about it. When we got back to the hotel, she led me into the bathroom. She removed my clothes... slowly... carefully... tenderly... then removed her own. She turned on the shower and stepped into the huge space with me, the water nice and hot...and she washed me...from head to toe. With some type of scented soap that was supposed to be calming...but how could it be, with her hands on every inch of my body, hot, wet, slippery...

She didn't do anything beside wash me though...then she quickly washed herself and took my hand to step out of the shower. She used warmed, soft, fluffy towels to dry every inch of my body...and took my hand to lead me to her massive bed. We were naked, but there wasn't anything sexual about what she was doing with me...for me. She lay me down on the smooth, cool sheets, climbed in behind me, pulled me close as she drew the comforter over us...and then kissed the side of my neck.

"Get some sleep, baby. You're safe now."

How did she know? How did she know I needed this right now? Needed to feel clean...to feel safe...to feel protected? I wiggled my backside until it fit perfectly against her hips...I sighed as her arm came around my waist, pulling me even closer...and then I slept.

*

"Kaden..."
That mouth on me...slick, warm heat... making its way down my throat... capturing one hardened nipple, then the other... teasing its way down... down... nibbling at my flesh...until she parted my thighs and... and... devoured me. Fingers pressing me wide open... lips brushing, caressing... torturing... her tongue licking, parting my folds... her mouth consuming me. God...God. I was squirming, so turned on my body ached, actually ached... but she was taking her time... relentless... sampling... tasting... overwhelming me.

"Kaden, please..."

I was begging... I didn't care. I could feel myself climbing... my body tensed...I wanted to come. I needed to come. Here, with her, where I was safe, where I felt beautiful... I... I could feel it... I... uh...

"Fuck!"

I thought it would lap over me, like a warm wave...no. It punched into me...through me...and I screamed as she worked me over, as she stayed with me, her mouth hot and hungry, her fingers almost brutal against my tender flesh...

I rode that tsunami, wrung out from the intensity of it...but she didn't stop, didn't let me rest...I could feel myself climbing yet again just moments later as she laved, as she licked, as she teased and tormented... She kept me there, on the precipice, much longer this time...tireless in her efforts...killing me slowly... deliciously... until a second orgasm slammed into me, forcing my fingers to clench in her thick, silken hair as I pulled her to me and rode her face... until I was absolutely exhausted.

Then she stretched out beside me and pulled me close to her again.

"Sleep, baby," she murmured, her deep voice sweetly caressing my tingling flesh.

And so I did.

*

She hadn't wanted to leave her so soon, but there wasn't a choice. The trip had been planned for months. And it was important...millions of dollars important. So, though it had only been a few days, she'd had to hop on a plane and fly thousands of miles overseas.

It had been four days since she left and so far, no problems. Isa was resting, she'd been to see Pamela once and was scheduled to visit with her again today. She was eating, seemed to be sleeping...it was all good. And she would be by her side again in just three days...

Her phone buzzed just as she finished the thought. She glanced at the screen and winced. Fuck.

"Julian, I swear to God, this better not be about Isa," she snapped.

"Kade, we have a serious problem."

The tension in his voice was not a good sign. "What? What the fuck now?"

"She's gone."

She felt her heart hitch just a bit, "what are you talking about?"

"She had a session with the shrink and...she's gone Kade."
She closed her eyes for a moment. She needed to kill Mason. That motherfucker really was messing with their lives...

"Who did Mason sell her to this time?"

"No...uh...no Kade. He's dead. Two in the head, point blank, right outside the shrink's office."
She swallowed, trying to ignore how hard her heart hitched again.

"Pete?"

"Same."

Fuck. Fuck!

"I'm on my way home."

*

Two days. Two fucking days and no call. They had to have taken her for a reason. For money, weapons... something. But no call? That was not a good sign. Or they were fucking with her, which was just as possible.

Her phone buzzed and she glanced at the number...blocked. She snapped her fingers and Julian hurried to her side. She answered, putting the call on speaker.

"Ms. Knight. A pleasure."

Thick, Spanish accent. The voice sounded vaguely familiar...

"Who the fuck is this?"
"I'm hurt. You don't recognize my voice. You knew who I was when you told me 'no' just two months ago. When I asked for the Korea deal. Remember me now?"

She closed her eyes and swallowed. Fuck. Juan Miguel Garcia. A member of the Colombian Cartel. Not good. Really not fucking good.

"Mr. Garcia. How can I be of service?"

He snorted, "oh, now she's all polite. What did I tell you guys? Huh? She must really like this fucking bitch."

She swallowed again, waiting.

"We want the Korea deal."

"I want to speak to her."

He laughed, "Ms. Knight. You are not in a position to ask for anything from me. Get the shit I want, I'll give her back to you."

Kaden swallowed, noticing he didn't say he would give her back unharmed...or even alive.

"I want proof of life."

"Ms. Knight, you're pissing me off. I'll give you five days to get everything together."

"Not unless I speak to her."

"You're making demands? You're telling me!? You want proof of life?! You fucking puta motherfucker! I'll send you proof of life!"

A pause... voices... Isa's voice... scared... was she... begging? Why was she...she almost dropped the phone at the shrill scream on the other end. Followed by more screams...and crying. Isa's voice, definitely. She felt her heart stop, literally stop. What the fuck?

"You get that?! You fucking stupid bitch?! And you'll have proof in an hour!"

*

Julian had placed the box on the bar in front of her...what was she on? Her fifth drink? Sixth? She'd stopped counting. It was a small, square box, gold...a box you would find a necklace or bracelet in. And she was scared to death to open it. A part of her knew what was in it. She knew. She just didn't want to confirm it.

She downed the drink, whatever number it was, and snatched up the box. It was heavier than she thought...and lighter. She swallowed and removed the top...

For a moment she wondered if it was from the left or right hand, curious about the morbid direction of her thoughts. Her pinky. They'd cut off her pinky...she turned and lost the entire contents of her stomach.

*

"We didn't think we'd be hearing from you Ms. Knight."

"And I had no desire to call. But I have a problem. And I thought you guys would like to know about it."

"What problem?"

"Juan Miguel Garcia kidnapped a really good friend of mine. Messengered me her pinky. Demanding the Korea deal. You know, the one the government paid me a shitload of money to back out of? You have any suggestions?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone and Kaden was positive she was suddenly being transferred to someone with a little more power at Homeland Security.

"Ms. Knight, sorry for the wait. You're sure it's Garcia?

"Spoke directly to the big man."

"Fuck. Tell us everything."

*

There were agents in the Penthouse an hour later. They walked her through the conversation they wanted her to have when Garcia called back. Garcia had to be in the States still. No way to deliver the finger that quickly if they were in South America. Still, they had to find him...and her. So, she'd kept him on the phone. Discussing details about what he wanted and when he wanted it. He really knew the intricate details of the deal she'd been in the process of making with North Korea, until the U.S. had intervened. And ten minutes later, she had an itinerary as well as a date and time for delivery. But more importantly, they had Garcia's location. She imagined he would never think she'd go to the Feds considering how she felt about them. But for Isa? Well, she'd do anything for Isa.

*

They wouldn't let her go with them...not surprising. But she'd asked anyway. So she paced...and drank...and paced...for hours. Until her phone beeped...Garcia was dead...they'd found Isa...alive. They texted the hospital they were taking her to...Kaden was already in her car by the time she received the text.

*

"What happened?"

Kaden was surprised by the therapist's harsh tone. Her last meeting with the therapist had been uncomfortable, but the woman had been pleasant.

"A misunderstanding. It's been settled, but—"

The plus-sized woman froze when she glanced into the bedroom, stunned.

"Oh my God. How long has she been like that?"

Kaden shook her head...two days. Had it only been two days? Isa was...catatonic? Frozen? In shock? She wouldn't speak...wouldn't eat...wouldn't drink...she just lay in the bed, curled into a fetal position. And if she fell asleep, she would wake screaming at the top of her lungs. Her hand must be hurting, but she wouldn't allow a doctor near her to examine it, wouldn't take any pain pills...there'd been blood on her inner thighs...Jesus. She allowed Kaden to sleep beside her, but that was the only allowance she'd made. Desperate, Kaden had finally called Pamela.