The SUV's leather seats stuck to my bare thighs as we sped through neon-lit streets. Ethan's hand remained clamped around my wrist, his thumb pressing against my erratic pulse. "You're hyperventilating," he murmured, his breath warm against my temple. I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened—not painful, but insistent. The other men filled the vehicle's dark interior, their body heat making the air thick. Liam lounged across from me, his booted feet nudging my knees apart with deliberate casualness. "Relax, princess," he drawled, taking a swig from his silver flask. "We don't bite." His gaze dropped to where my torn dress gaped open. "Unless you ask nicely." Trey smacked the back of Liam's head without looking up from cleaning his gun. "Shut it." Jace adjusted his cracked glasses, fingers flying over a tablet that cast blue light across his boyish face. "Her adrenaline levels are still—" "We know," Amir interrupted from the driver's seat, his obsidian eyes flicking to me in the rearview mirror. The city lights slid across his sharp cheekbones like liquid gold. My knife—the one with A.C. engraved on the hilt—lay on the console between us, still smeared with Liam's blood from the alley.
Ethan suddenly released my wrist to cup my jaw, forcing me to meet his storm-gray eyes. "You remember Victor," he stated rather than asked. His thumb brushed my lower lip, rough with calluses. "What else?" My breath hitched as fractured images surged—Victor's hands sliding up my stockings, his teeth grazing my shoulder, the cold barrel of a gun pressed between my breasts as he whispered, "They'll make you forget who you belong to." The memory vanished when Liam leaned forward, his fingers trailing up my inner thigh. "She's getting wet just thinking about him," he announced with dark amusement. I jerked away, but the SUV cornered sharply, slamming me into Ethan's side. His arm banded around my waist, pulling me flush against him. "Enough," Ethan growled, but his hand slipped under my dress, finding the bare skin of my hip. His touch burned through the fog of panic.
Jace made a distressed noise. "She's dissociating again—" "I know how to bring her back," Ethan cut him off. Then his mouth crashed onto mine. The kiss wasn't gentle—it was possession, a brand. I gasped against his lips, and he took advantage, his tongue sweeping in to tangle with mine. The others watched, the air thickening with something predatory. When Ethan finally pulled back, my lips throbbed. "Still think we're the bad guys?" he murmured, his hand sliding higher beneath my dress. I became acutely aware of four pairs of eyes tracking every twitch of my body.
The SUV stopped abruptly. Amir killed the engine. "We're here." The penthouse elevator ascended in silence, my back pressed against the mirrored wall as the men surrounded me. Liam toyed with a strand of my hair. "You smell like fear and expensive perfume," he mused. "Victor's favorite combination." The doors opened into a sprawling space of glass and steel. Jace hurried ahead, tapping codes into panels that made hidden doors hiss open. "I'll prepare the medical suite," he muttered, glancing at the blood drying on my legs.
Ethan guided me toward floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. "This is your home," he said, his breath warm on my neck. "If you'd just remember." His hands settled on my hips, pulling me back against the hard line of his body. I felt his erection through his slacks, and a traitorous heat pooled low in my belly. "You used to beg me to fuck you against this glass," he whispered, biting my earlobe. "The whole city watching." My knees weakened as another flashback hit—Ethan pinning my wrists above my head, my breath fogging the window as he—
A loud crash interrupted us. Trey had overturned a table, his massive frame vibrating with tension. "Stop fucking around," he snapped. "Victor could have planted tracking devices in her." Liam sighed dramatically but produced a scanner from his pocket. "Strip," he ordered, advancing toward me with a wicked grin. "Unless you want me to do it for you." Amir materialized beside me, a silent guardian. "We'll check the dress first," he said, his deep voice leaving no room for argument. But when his fingers brushed the zipper between my shoulder blades, I flinched.
Ethan caught my reaction. "He hurt you there," he realized, eyes darkening. Another memory flickered—Victor's hand fisting my hair, his other hand unzipping this same dress before shoving me onto— "Enough!" Ethan barked, startling everyone. He scooped me up, carrying me down a hallway. "We're doing this my way."
The bathroom he took me to was all marble and steam. Ethan set me on the counter, his hands braced on either side of my thighs. "You're going to shower," he said roughly. "And then we're going to talk." His gaze dropped to my mouth. "Unless you'd rather not talk." The unspoken offer hung between us, charged with years of history I couldn't remember but my body apparently did.
When he reached for my zipper again, I didn't stop him. The dress pooled around my waist, revealing the black lace bra beneath. Ethan's breath hitched. "Still my favorite," he murmured, tracing the scalloped edge with one finger. Then his hands were everywhere—cupping my breasts, sliding down my stomach, dipping below the waistband of my thong. I arched against him, a moan escaping before I could stop it.
The door burst open. "Tracker found in the dress lining," Jace announced, then froze at the sight of us. His cheeks flushed pink behind his glasses. "Oh. I'll—I'll just..."
Ethan didn't remove his hands from my body. "Where was it?"
"Near the... uh... near the lower back," Jace stammered, eyes locked on where Ethan's fingers disappeared under my underwear.
Liam appeared in the doorway, taking in the scene with a smirk. "Need help holding her down, boss?"
Ethan finally stepped back, leaving me aching and breathless. "Shower," he repeated, his voice gravelly. "Then we find out what else Victor left inside you."
As the door closed behind them, I slid off the counter—and caught my reflection in the mirror. Except it wasn't my face staring back.
It was Victor's.
His lips curved in a smile that made my blood freeze. "Miss me, solnyshko?" the reflection whispered.
I screamed just as the bathroom lights exploded into sparks.