Secrets of Betrayal Read online

  Secrets of Betrayal

  LK Shaw

  Contents

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  1. Phebe

  2. Donovan

  3. Phebe

  4. Donovan

  5. Phebe

  6. Donovan

  7. Phebe

  8. Donovan

  9. Phebe

  10. Him

  11. Donovan

  12. Phebe

  13. Phebe

  14. Phebe

  15. Donovan

  16. Phebe

  17. Vlad

  18. Phebe

  19. Donovan

  20. Phebe

  21. Donovan

  22. Phebe

  23. Donovan

  24. Phebe

  25. Donovan

  26. Phebe

  27. Donovan

  28. Phebe

  29. Vlad

  30. Phebe

  31. Phebe

  32. Phebe

  33. Phebe

  34. Phebe

  35. Phebe

  36. Phebe

  37. Donovan

  38. Phebe

  39. Donovan

  40. Phebe

  41. Phebe

  42. Donovan

  43. Phebe

  44. Phebe

  Epilogue

  Secrets of Submission

  Copyright

  1. Penny

  Secrets of Desire

  Copyright

  Prologue

  1. Connor

  Secrets of Redemption

  Copyright

  Prologue

  1. Josie

  2. Miles

  Booklist

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Secrets of Betrayal (c) 2017 by LK Shaw

  Cover design (c) 2017 by PopKitty Designs

  Photographer: Randy Sewell (RLS Model Images)

  Model: Nathaniel Bell

  ISBN-13: 978-1977827012

  ISBN-10: 1977827012

  All rights reserved. No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then, technically, you have stolen it and/ or pirated it and are a despicable human being. Return to an ebook retailer and purchase your own copy.

  Available in ebook and print editions.

  Acknowledgments

  This is the time where I have to try and remember everyone I want to thank. I usually suck at this part, because there are so many people I have to thank. I’ll try to give the proper people their due. Thank you to:

  Every reader who has picked up one of my books! Two years ago, I couldn’t even imagine that people would be reading my stories. And not only reading them, but loving them.

  Julia Sykes, your friendship means the world to me.

  Lexi C. Foss, you have become one of my favorite people. I love our sprint sessions. Your valuable feedback on this book only made it better! #TeamVlad

  Jennifer Ann Van Wyk, Java Editing Services, for polishing up my story.

  The Luscious Ones

  My street team, The Sexy Submissives

  My mom, Joanne, for supporting me and reading all my books, even though they’re not “your genre.”

  Prologue

  Death.

  Blessed release.

  Neither would be coming for me no matter how much I wished otherwise.

  Instead, I was stuck living in this hell I now called life. A sob disguised as a laugh escaped before I could stop it, and the echo of the sound bouncing off the walls mocked me. I thought I was going mad, and to be honest, I welcomed the madness. Perhaps if I were mad, I could forget what was happening to me. Sadly, I knew no such thing would happen.

  No matter what they did to me, my mind remained intact.

  Luck never came to people like me.

  I closed my eyes and pictured sunlight. I thought about the sun and the way the rays of light would catch on a raindrop and produce the brilliant colors of the rainbow. The way it sparkled like diamonds on glistening, white snow. I could almost swear my body heated imperceptibly with the thought of the sun shining down on it. Mentally I absorbed the heat and forced the chills to escape my cold, half-naked form lying on the even colder floor.

  A countless number of days had passed, how many I couldn’t tell. I’d lost track, and soon they ran together in nothing but one endless night. One that was nightmare filled.

  A shiver racked my body and my mind drifted back to the faux sunshine coming through the non-existent window in my cell wall. And it was a cell. Gray stone walls surrounded me on three sides, and I refused to open my eyes to the steel bars in front of me. I didn’t need to open them to know they were there. I received nearly daily reminders when my captors led me through them to whatever fate awaited me on the other side.

  A muffled sound came from far away, but I ignored it. My punishment would come soon enough. The sound grew louder, but I blocked the noise out. Sunshine was my only friend in this bleak existence I now found myself in. I heard a crash outside the entrance to the room my cell was housed in. Instinctively, I flinched when the door slammed open. I didn’t move again. Not that it would have mattered. I would have made myself smaller, and less conspicuous, if I thought it would make a difference. I remained curled on my side, my knees tucked to my chest. This was it. My training was over. I’d finally been broken, and he was here to claim his prize.

  “Phebe? Phebe Lawson?”

  Well, shit. I guess wishes do come true. My mind had finally snapped.

  Knowing I wouldn’t see anything, I forced my eyes to open and raised my head, because I thought my eyes were deceiving me.

  Blink. Blink.

  A hazy outline of a man, with what appeared to be a gun drawn, stood silhouetted in the doorway. Finally, death had come to take me away. A sweet relief coursed through me, and my head sagged back down to the floor.

  “She’s in here! She’s alive.” The booming voice sounded too loud in my ears.

  Metal against metal scraped my eardrums as a key was thrust into the lock of my cell door. It clanged against the wall as it was hastily tore open. Tentative footsteps moved closer, and I waited for the gunshot. I hoped he made it quick. However, instead of the pain of a bullet, the bittersweet pain of a soft touch floated across my hair, gently moving it out of my face.

  “Phebe.” The deep male voice came from directly above me. Why was he torturing me? Just do it and get it over with. Against my will, a tear spilled from behind my closed eyes. A thumb ghosted across my cheek taking the moisture with it, causing another involuntary flinch.

  “Phebe, my name is Daniel Webber. I’m with the Pinegrove Police. I’m here to take you home.”

  Chapter One

  Phebe

  My eyes scanned the room Detective Webber had dropped me off in before he’d headed back out to find someone named Connor. I was thankful the couch was positioned so my back was to the wall. No one could sneak up on me then. The ticking clock reminded me that it was well past dark, and I hadn’t eaten for awhile. My empty, growling stomach was also a reminder, but I tende
d to ignore that. No sense wishing for food when it only appeared when he was feeling generous.

  Webber had grabbed his overcoat from the back of his vehicle, and I’d shrugged into it to cover my near nakedness when I’d left my cold, dank cell. He’d taken me to the police station where I’d been questioned and promised he would get me a shower and some clothes as soon as he could.

  A mixture of dehydration, lack of food, and pure despondency made it difficult to recollect anything. Once I’d given my statement, tonelessly answered all the police’s invasive questions, and refused to go to the hospital, Webber escorted me outside. He asked if I had any place to go, and when I’d shaken my head, he shot me a look of pity and told me he’d take me some place safe.

  Supposedly, this office was my safe place. It was expensively decorated without being flashy. The wet bar was stocked as well as any club I’d been to. The dark leather couch and office chair smelled wonderful, almost new. There was even a hint of some fancy men’s cologne on the air. My eyes closed briefly as I deeply inhaled all the scents. Anything to cleanse the stink of my prison from my nostrils. The smells I was finally free from in that hell hole. A barely discernible noise had my eyes snapping open.

  When the door slowly opened, I realized the noise had been a light knock. Webber stepped through first and gave me what I thought was a reassuring look. Walking in behind him was another man. He was massive; built like a brick house with wide, muscular shoulders that tapered to a narrow waist. He had close cut, dark brown hair without a fleck of gray even though he looked close to Kieran’s age. His fierce expression had me trembling. Until he smiled. It softened his features and made him marginally less scary looking.

  Webber spoke first. “Ms. Lawson, this is Connor Black. This is his office of his company, Blacklight Securities. I know you’re probably exhausted, and I know I promised you could get cleaned up, but if you could just give him a little bit of your time, we’d greatly appreciate it.”

  The only place I could have gone was The Haven, but once Kieran discovered I’d been rescued, that’d be the first place he would look for me. I didn’t want to put the women in danger by hiding out there. It was best if I stayed far away from them, from my former life. Which meant, whether I wished to be or not, I was stuck here.

  I couldn’t hide my bitterness. “Considering I have no where else to go, I guess I have nothing but time to give.”

  “Ms. Lawson—” Connor, started, as he settled behind his desk. Webber sat in a chair on the opposite side of the room from me. They both seemed to be giving me my space. I was grateful for it. Even if they were here to help me, it made me uneasy being in a room with two men, virtual strangers, although the door remained open.

  “Phebe. My name is Phebe.” I interrupted, needing to hear my real name being spoken. I was no longer malen’kaya igrushka, or little toy. I was Phebe.

  “Phebe, then. My employees and I have been diligently working on gathering charges against Mr. Underwood. We have a significant list of crimes, not the least of which is ties to a Russian sex-trafficking operation, as evidenced by where we discovered you. Sadly, you weren’t the only woman being held captive, although you were one of the luckier ones. I know you spoke to the police about what happened to you, but there is only so much the police can do. They have hundreds of cases that cross their desk every day. There is also some internal shit going down that is going to make prosecuting this case low importance. You, however, are our number one priority. Righting the wrongs against you is our main objective.”

  His words sounded foreign to me. Luckier ones? Did he think I hadn’t heard the screams of the other women? I was a mere ghost of my former self. How in God’s name was I a lucky one? Why did these people care about what happened to me?

  “You’re lucky because you’re not addicted to heroin and other drugs like some of the women that were found. You’re lucky because you’re alive. And we care, because you’re one of us.”

  I hadn’t realized I asked the questions out loud, but now I was even more confused.

  “What do you mean I’m one of you?”

  The detective and Mr. Black exchanged a questioning glance. It was as though an entire conversation took place between them. Finally, Connor spoke up.

  “Do you know who your father was, Phebe?”

  I shook my head in puzzlement, wondering what he had to do with anything. “I know of him, but he isn’t a part of my life. Wait, what do you mean was?”

  “I’m afraid he’s dead.” His words held a hint of satisfaction.

  “Dead?” I echoed.

  “There really isn’t any easy way to break this to you other than to just spit it out. Mr. Underwood worked for your father. Your father was the main reason we even knew of your existence.” Connor’s gaze was filled with pity as he continued destroying me without even realizing it. “Before he died, he confessed to what had become of you to his daughter.”

  He paused, letting his words sink in. When they finally did, tears I didn’t even know I had left fell from my eyes.

  Kieran worked for my father?

  After all these years, how could I have not known that? I’d always assumed Kieran was his own boss. Was that why he’d asked me out all those years ago? Why he threatened me if I ever left? Suddenly, I questioned everything about my former life.

  And now I’d learned something else.

  “I have a sister?” I asked, wiping away the tears.

  “Well, a half-sister if you want to get technical. She works for me as a computer analyst. Josephine also has a few extra skill sets that allowed her to track you down. She’s the one who sent Webber to your location.”

  My muddled brain was having trouble processing everything. Spots danced in my eyes and a buzzing sounded in my ears before everything started to go black.

  “Ms. Lawson. Phebe!” My eyes focused and I snapped to attention. Webber squatted at my feet, but didn’t attempt to touch me in any way.

  “Sorry,” my voice came out shaky. “I haven’t eaten in a while. Do you mind if I have something to drink?”

  The detective’s horrified expression would have normally been comical if I still wasn’t feeling woozy.

  “Jesus, I wasn’t even thinking.” He stood and grabbed a bottle of water from the bar fridge. He also handed me some type of protein bar Connor had tossed him from his desk drawer. A commotion sounded out in the hall. Connor excused himself and closed the door behind him, effectively locking Webber and me in together. I struggled to breathe a little at the claustrophobic sensation that suddenly engulfed me.

  “Phebe. Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe, remember? No one is going to hurt you here.”

  I nodded my head in understanding because I knew he expected it.

  It took me longer to bring my brain and body up to speed.

  Eventually, they both caught up and my breathing slowed to a normal pace. My stomach growled reminding me of my hunger. I took a small bite of the protein bar and chased it with the water. Loud voices, one a female’s, could be heard out in the hall. I looked questioningly at Webber. He smiled and nodded as though all was well. The noise quieted out in the hall and a few moments later Connor re-entered the room.

  “Are you doing okay?” he asked, concern radiating from him.

  “I’m fine now.”

  He nodded before continuing, gentler this time. “Due to your connection to Josie, you’re one of us. We’ll do everything we can to make sure Underwood is punished. We’re also working with the FBI on locating and prosecuting the man we believe is the head of the trafficking ring. We need your help though. Are you willing to testify against Mr. Underwood regarding his criminal activities as well as anything you might remember about the events leading up to your captivity? And as painful as it may be, we also need you to recall anything you are able to during your time in that cell. Names. Faces. Information regarding their operation they may have let slip in your presence.”

  Hysterical laughter threatened to explode
from me. All I wanted to do was forget the last two months and here these people, these strangers, were asking me to remember? To recall the faces of the men, one man in particular, who took delight in breaking me? To relive every hellish moment I spent in that cell, praying for it all to end? Hadn’t I been tortured enough? Apparently not.

  They also wanted me as a witness against Kieran’s crimes. After all I’d been through, I didn’t know if I was ready for that, for any of this. I knew I hated him; had for years. Yet, there was still that part of me that was terrified of him. Of what he’d do to me if I ever spoke out against him. I refused to acknowledge my terror of the Russian. My gaze went back and forth between the two men. Did I dare trust them to keep me safe? My faith in people, men especially, wasn’t strong. I’d been let down so many times in my life by people I thought I could trust.

  Then, against my will, I thought of him. His voice, with its Russian accent, taunting me about about how he’d purchased me like a piece of meat from Kieran. About how I was his.