Read Online Bound by Consent by Dalia Craig - Free Book Online

because she was scared witless after being snatched from under my nose, stripped of her collar, and imprisoned in this shit hole. Although she hadn’t identified the women involved I’d be willing to bet my entire fortune that the culprits were those sick bitches Esmée Vincent and, her poisonous sidekick, Marisa. Whilst I, based on Sasha’s information which I had no reason to doubt, couldn’t afford to lay myself open to blackmail by the criminals who now apparently controlled Out of Bounds. Thankfully Bryana had signed me in as her guest, so my name wasn’t in the book, but my face was too well known for comfort, and my family connections put me in a very vulnerable position. I’d be in deep shit if the press got hold of my name and forged a link between this club and my activities at Auchtercairn.
    Besides all of the above, however, I desperately wanted, needed, Bryana to acknowledge my strength and regard me as her knight in shining armor. To have her turn automatically to me in times of stress and look on me as protector, lover, and Mistress. It was a big ask. To achieve all of the above, I must first demonstrate my ability to solve our current dilemma and prove that I was the ultimate safe haven.
    More determined than ever to find a way out of this crap hole, I released Bryana from my embrace, took her by the hand, and pressed on with the search. A couple of flickering strip lights provided barely enough illumination to penetrate the gloom behind a row of cartons lined up close to the third wall. I’d almost given up the hunt when I came across an anomaly.
    Had I been a casual observer I probably wouldn’t have noticed how what looked like a haphazard jumble of larger cartons had been cleverly arranged so they formed a ragged barrier blocking off the view of one complete bay. I pushed into a narrow gap between two of the taller cartons, dragging Bryana in my wake, and discovered an L-shaped passage at the end of which, hung a large curtain, similar to the one used to cover Bryana. The dark velvet drape reached from the ceiling to floor and spanned an entire arched section.
    What purpose would a curtain serve in a windowless cellar?
    The answer was self-evident when I pulled the heavy fabric aside to reveal a hidden area almost a small room in size and completely empty of clutter. Somebody had taken a lot of trouble to keep this space hidden from general view. I estimated that twenty or thirty people could hide in here and nobody would be the wiser.
    “Oh!” Bryana voiced her surprise at first sight of the solid looking door set in the back wall.
    I had to admit the door looked promising but knew I mustn’t get my hopes up too soon; it could just as easily lead nowhere. Although why anybody would want to disguise the entrance to a cupboard, or even another room was beyond me. I shrugged off a wave of negative thoughts, refusing to consider defeat or even having to repeat the search process elsewhere. I stepped forward and tried the handle. The door opened smoothly on well oiled hinges to reveal a narrow passage. I peered into the gloom. Elation and fear in equal measure clenched my stomach into a tight knot.
    Light! We needed light to navigate our way out of here. My heart beat a rapid paradiddle of frustration laced with anticipation as I felt around the entrance for a switch. Eventually I found a time delay push-button, like the ones you get on staircases. A trial depression produced a series of dim globes that snaked away into the distance and provided a feeble but adequate illumination.
    “Yes!” Bryana surged forward almost taking me with her. “Let’s get out of here.”
    “Wait! We can’t go yet.” I dug my heels in, halting her over eager charge for freedom, and wedged the door open with my hip. I wasn’t prepared to risk the unknown until I figured out how much time we had before the lights went out. Getting stuck in an unlit passage that led nowhere spelt disaster in my book.
    The passage was