Roped for Pleasure by Lacey Thorn Read Free Book Online

wouldn’t discuss that.
    “I’m glad you killed the son of a bitch,” Dasan grunted. “After what Charlie said…” He stopped before finishing, and she turned just in time to see Charlie shaking his head subtly.
    “What? What did you say?” she asked the question quietly. She didn’t know how much of her nightmare they knew. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
    “I don’t like secrets,” Charlie answered. “Secrets cause problems, wound friends, arm enemies. They rarely serve the purpose those keeping them believe. And the longer they remain the more power they gain.”
    Tara met his gaze and felt the first tear spill from her eye.
    “Don’t cry,” Sam begged and tugged her into his arms.
    Dasan walked over and sat on the bed beside them. He reached out and ran his finger down her cheek. “Let her cry.”
    Charlie sat down on the bed with them. It should have been crowded, but it wasn’t. It was comfortable, comforting, and at last, she let herself cry over that night.
    “He can’t hurt you ever again,” Charlie reminded her.
    She nodded her head. She knew that. But knowing didn’t stop the nightmares. If anything, they had increased since his death.
    “Tell us about that night,” Dasan encouraged. “Maybe if you talk about it, it will help exorcise some of the demons.”
    Maybe he was right. Maybe she needed to talk about it to heal from it. After all, that night was what had led to her shooting to kill. And her killing Raymond was what must have led to what they were dealing with now. Someone bent on revenge?
    She drew a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and nodded. They might not be with her for the long haul, but they were here now. And whether she wanted to admit it or not, she needed them, if only for a little while.
    “I’d been having trouble sleeping. River was gone. We weren’t sure where she was, if she was safe. We were desperate for word, but Detective Marino was watching our every move. So we limited where we looked, limited ourselves, and trusted River could keep herself safe. It was horrible. We felt powerless.”
    “And the detective kept coming around? Thinking you knew more?” Sam coaxed her to keep speaking.
    “Yes. He hounded us constantly. Everywhere we went, he was there. Or one of his trusted friends. Always watching.”
    “Why didn’t you call?” Charlie’s voice was a bit hoarse with emotion.
    Tara reached for him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it. “You know your sister.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Fiercely independent. Not willing to ask for help from anyone.”
    “You’re just like her,” Sam stated.
    “I am. We all are. River, Kat, me. I think it’s one of the things that united us in the beginning.”
    “What happened the night he broke in?” Dasan asked the question, pulling her back to what she wanted to forget but couldn’t.
    “I took something to help me sleep. Kat was harping at me for being so tired. I was losing focus on our cases. I was distracted and so damn tired. I just wanted to sleep, to rest.” She shuddered, closing her eyes and finding herself in her bedroom again, tied down to her own bed. Blindfolded and unable to do a thing to save herself.
    “No,” Sam said as he tapped her on the chin. Her eyes flew open. “Stay here with us. He doesn’t get to pull you back there.”
    He was right. Detective Marino was dead. She needed to keep reminding herself of that fact.
    “I was already tied down when I woke up.” She trembled, but this time kept her eyes open. She took strength in the three men with her. Raymond and that night were in her past. Dasan, Sam, and Charlie were her present. “He’d blindfolded me. The first thing I remember is the rough feel of his hands on my skin, my naked skin. I tried to slap him away, but my hands were bound and tied to the headboard. My legs…” she quivered and took a deep breath before continuing, “my legs were sprawled and tied to the posts at the foot of the