Page 36 of Sweet Torture (Torture Games #1)

TWENTY-NINE

NAZ

I was so busy chatting to Rose that I lost track of time. Chaos has called me numerous times and finally texted me to meet him at his penthouse.

Walking into the lobby, I wave to Herb and ask about Kyle.

“Oh, he is swamped, Miss. I think he has a young lady in the wake. Always on his phone. In my days, we would ring them up and ask them to give us a proper date instead of sending letters over the phone,” Herb gives his adorable opinion.

Herb is just precious. I bet he and his wife have been together for dozens of years.

I press the correct button and get on as soon as the doors open. On the elevator, my foot is tapping anxiously. I am filled with nervous energy, and I don’t know why.

I pull at my simple bodycon dress and think about how the rich mocha color resembles Chaos’ eyes when he looks at me.

I take my time to walk the few steps from the elevator to his door, hoping it will award me some calm.

Knocking on the door, I expect to be greeted with the same eyes I was just daydreaming about, but it is a blonde woman opening the door.

She is beautiful, with vivid blue eyes, delicate features, and a cute button nose that reminds me of the innocence of girls in pigtails.

“You must be Naz. It is so nice to meet you.” She grabs my hand and crushes my fingers a little.

“Sorry about that. I am used to the men at work, and there, you need to be hard to stick it out. Come in; we have been waiting for you.” She moves to allow me entrance, and immediately, I sniff at the enticing aroma of pizza.

A man with the same vivid eyes as the blonde zeros in on me and waits patiently for me to enter the dining area.

“Hi. My name is Bastian.” His tone is factual, and I wonder who these people are while I shake the hand he presents to me.

The blonde walks past and enters the conversation. “Yeah, he grows on you, alright. Like black mold on your favorite wallpaper.”

Bastian bends down to whisper, “That is Claire. She is my sister.”

Griffin is in the kitchen, taking down some plates and carrying them to the dining table where a huge pizza box is lying on the table .

Once he puts the plates down, he beckons me closer and wraps his arms around me. I take comfort in his warmth and smell the deeply masculine scent that evaporates through his shirt.

“I know it seems crazy to surprise you with new strangers, but everything will be explained. Would you like a slice? Bastian is apparently always hungry.” He nudges his chin in Bastian’s direction, and we take our seats.

Chaos pulls out the chair on his right side, and the other two sit on his left, almost staring me down from across the table.

Chaos plops a pizza slice down on my plate, and a hush falls on the room.

I stare from Claire to Bastian and land on Chaos to see trepidation caught in his handsome features. I place my hand on his thigh under the table for support and wait patiently for him to find the words.

Bastian has already tucked into the pizza and is six bites deep when Griffin starts talking.

“We are all here today because my partner has created an unfortunate situation for me and my loved ones.” He holds my hand under the table, and I squeeze back. “I had no other choice but to take action and form this group.”

“On my recommendation,” Bastian interrupts between bites.

“Yes, on Bastian’s recommendation to entrap Vlad Antonov.”

I gasp .

“We will keep you safe, I promise. Nothing will happen to either of you,” Chaos assures me, and I know he is referring to Rose as well.

Claire interjects. “We all need to remember the law is there to help us and not the enemy.”

Bastian leans forward while he takes another slice out of the box to say, “Claire is a cop.”

No one else has touched their food, and with this revelation, my eyes trail back to Chaos to gauge his reaction.

He nods and keeps rubbing my hand under the table.

“I am not worried about me. And Chaos can take care of himself. But you don’t need to do this for my honor. I am fine,” I say, facing Chaos and the comical smile that forms on his face.

He lets go of my hand and cups my cheek, “Queen, I wish this were for your benefit, but it is a bit more complicated than that.”

My hand moves to my lips as I remember something that was said. “Vlad mentioned a deal. You are doing business with him?”

Too late, I realize that Chaos might not want to discuss his business in front of strangers.

“No! I didn’t make any deal with him. That was Mike. And now Mike can’t get us out of it. The only way forward is to set a trap with the help of Officer Black here, and that dope already on his second slice.”

He points to the two strangers sitting across from us, and I almost sigh in relief. The authorities are involved, so they will get him out of this mess. Claire looks trustworthy enough while starting to nibble on a pepperoni slice.

“There is no,” – Bastian takes another bite – “cause for concern. We’ve got this.”

Claire shoves his shoulder, “Chew with your mouth closed, you oaf.” Then she leans closer to me, “I swear my mother taught him manners, but boys will be boys.”

I look at the tall, heavy-built man with shoulders wider than Griffin’s and at the way that he is packing the pizza away, and I shake my head. He is definitely not a boy anymore.

I can feel Griffin’s heat set my insides alight as he leans in. “Stop looking at him that way. He is a human pizza compacter. I am your man.”

Claire, or at least I think it is Claire, kicks my shin under the table and makes a circling motion next to her head. I agree Chaos is crazy.

But I like him a little unhinged.

“So, have we discussed a plan, or were you all waiting for me? "

“And the pizza.” Bastian is still chewing with his mouth open.

Claire pushes her plate away and gets serious, “Griffin refused to address the elephant in the room without you present. He said it was important that you know what is going on, especially since you will be dining with the enemy tonight.”

“Tonight? How can that be?” I murmur.

“The quicker we get this over, the quicker we get this done. Do you know how to handle a gun?” Claire asks.

“That won’t be necessary. I will be by her side the whole time. And they won’t hurt her if they need me to cooperate,” Chaos adds.

“Fine. Bastian did a little digging. We could not find blueprints for his home, but we know the following based on his purchase: He has an armory, a panic room that can handle at least eight people, and his basement has been reinforced. Enough supplies have been delivered to build a large number of cages. Naz, don’t go wandering and don’t get separated from Griffin. What size bra do you wear?”

Shocked, I look at the neutral faces across from me. “Is this your way of making friends? Because I can promise you I am your biggest friend, then?”

Everyone around the table laughs, but Claire gets back to business. “It would be easier to hide a recording device in your cleavage. Men find it uncomfortable to pat the ladies down, and I am sure they will half-ass it with Griffin staring them down. We might get away with it.”

Another memory comes back to me: “He has a woman who works for him. She escorted us to the VIP section. What if she’s the one patting me down? ”

Claire and Bastian stare at each other, and the silence stretches.

“You don’t have to do anything you are not comfortable with. I tried very hard to keep you out of this, but Vlad insisted you come. I assume it is to have some leverage on me.” Griffin’s tone is despondent.

“I want to be with you. It is partly my fault we are in this mess.” I rub his thigh, comforting him under the table.

“I would prefer you be kept safe, but it might be safer with me. Are you sure you are up for it?” Griffin asks.

I nod profusely and grab the slice from my plate to take a bite before I ask, “So what is the plan?”

Claire took me home to get changed for dinner.

Yet another person who now knows the location of my playhouse.

I can see the questions form in Claire’s eyes when we enter, but she keeps quiet and waits patiently for me to change.

Things are getting out of control but I have other things to focus on tonight.

I wear the same dress as the night of my exhibit.

I need the extra boost of confidence, and I know I will need to compete with a lot of other women for my man’s attention.

Not that I am worried. Griffin has assured me numerous times that he will be by my side the whole evening.

We get back just in time to meet Chaos in the lobby before a sleek, black SUV slides into the parking space in front of the building.

Claire and Bastian have retreated to an obscure corner, and Bastian gives me a subtle thumbs up before I walk through the door held open by Herb.

Much like Griffin’s, the SUV is elegant and stocked with all the perks. Herb winks at me when we walk past him, and I see him stare at us as the car pulls away from the curb. Luckily, Kyle was nowhere to be seen. I didn’t want Griffin’s jealousy to interfere with our mission tonight.

I must admit, I feel like a stuffed sausage with all the boob tape used to create the glorious cleavage I am sporting. I see the driver in the rear-view mirror staring at it every few minutes. It might just be distracting enough to save our asses tonight.

I am not the only one who has noticed the unwanted attention.

“If you look at my woman’s breasts again, I will poke out your eyes and have it for an appetizer. Keep your eyes on the fucking road,” Griffin remarks with gusto.

The driver’s friends say something in Russian, and Griffin’s hand contracts into a fist. I scoot closer to him, and my fingers cover his fist. “Why don’t we focus on something else. Do you remember what happened the first time you saw me in this dress? You were on a very peculiar date.”